Friend Zone
by phoenix9648
Summary: Toby meets Spencer on his first day at a new university. The two immediately hit it off, but will a long term boyfriend and sketchy step-sister leave them stuck as just friends? Spoby. AUish. Multi-chapter.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, this is my first PLL multi-chapter fic, so please let me know what you think! It's AU, so there is no A, no Alison, none of the exciting murder-mystery we all know and love. It's set in university, and for the most part everything else is as similar as it can be in an AU fic. The four girls are best friends, Toby and Jenna are step-siblings with a complicated past, etc etc but I add my own twist on things so it all flows nicely. Gradually secrets will be revealed, just like on the show, where you may hear of something ahead of time but it isn't fully explained until later, so just because something is somewhat explained doesn't mean that's all you're ever gonna get ;)

I have re-watched the first season plenty of times, and now the second, so be prepared to see some things pop up, characters specifically, that maybe only were in one or two episodes or just a brief cameo. I change their relationships to one another and entrance into each others lives completely, because I want this story to be as original as possible and its way more fun to do it that way :) There will be no original characters in this story, so anyone you see, has been on PLL, whether you remember them or not ;) Sometimes I'll mention specific outfits or articles that were also featured in the show. I will pull out some quotes too, altering them enough to fit the situations of course. So all of you that watch the show religiously will be able to recognize at least a few things :)

So I hope you guys like it! Bare with me, this is a Spoby story, but OFFICIAL Spoby will be in later chapters. We've got to add some twists and drama first ;) If you've read any of my other work, you know I love fluff, so there will be plenty of that along the way :)

This is the shortest chapter in the story, it's just the intro, the other ones will all be pretty much double in size :)

Enjoy!

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars**.

* * *

Toby Cavanaugh lifted the strap off of his shoulder and meandered through the settling students to the only available seat in the room. He sighed; it was pretty much front row centre. If he hadn't hit every red light and had an overwhelmed barista at the place he always got coffee, he would've been more on time for his first day and would've had his choice of seat. But now he was stuck with looking like the preppy, eager brunette female next to him.

She had her textbook and pens lined in perfect synchronization in the left corner of her desk. The other side had an opened notebook with her name, date, and class description written down. The class syllabus was printed and on the other side of the notebook so she could take notes and follow along at the same time.

Toby inwardly rolled his eyes. If everyone in this class was like her, he was going to fail out after one class. But he really needed a language as an elective and already had a bit of a background in French, so he would have to stick it out.

"Hello class. I'm Madame Boudreau, or you may call me Jacqueline or Jackie. Whatever you're comfortable with. Professor also works. I'm assuming the majority of you have somewhat of a background in French if you're taking a class at university level, but we will be covering the basics in this class to refresh your minds and make sure you were taught properly the first time. However, this little speech is the most English you will hear from me this entire semester." she finished, before continuing her spiel in French, putting the syllabus on the projector and leading them all through it.

Toby half-listened, silently hating first days of school. They made him anxious, the whole concept of the unknown always being a debilitating one. He subtly scanned the room, finding the class size to be about sixty, one of his smaller classes. He was grateful that this class of all classes was on the smaller size since he knew oral presentations were involved and he was never a fan of talking in front of a crowd let alone in a language he wasn't comfortable in.

After they wrapped on the syllabus, she moved right into the lesson. Toby couldn't complain though. He'd rather just get to the point rather than spend an entire hour discussing what was clearly lain out on the paper in front of him.

Finally class came to an end and he threw his stuff haphazardly in his bag. He heard a pen hit the floor and realized the brunette had dropped it. Her hair was curtaining her face from him as she peered around her chair for the fallen object.

Toby spotted it under his own seat and passed it to her, offering a small smile.

She finally looked up and smiled brightly in gratitude at him.

He tried not to stare. He hadn't expected her to be so pretty. Well, no, pretty wasn't the word. She was beautiful. Normally the super smart people in class were also lacking in the looks department a bit. It was only fair there was a bit of a balance in the world. But she seemed to have both beauty and brains. He had no confirmation that she was as intelligent as she made herself out to be with her organized ways, but he got the vibe from her that she did assignments weeks in advance and completed crosswords in minutes.

"Thanks." she murmured, her voice low and with a bit of a raspy quality to it.

He smiled involuntarily. "No problem."

Toby swung his bag over his shoulder and continued on his way. He pulled out his schedule and frowned, glancing around at the different rooms and wondering where on earth his next class was. He had gone on a tour of the university months ago and figured he'd remember the general vicinity but his brain was blank now that the halls were filled with chatty, moving bodies.

"Lost?" the same girl asked, sidling up next to him now.

He blushed. "I just don't know where my next class is. Do you know this school well enough to know where the Westmont Auditorium is?"

Her mocha eyes lit up. "You're taking Calculus?"

He nodded, smiling now as he understood why she must know that. "Is that your next class?"

"Yeah, I'll show you the way. I'm Spencer, by the way." she added, running a hand through her long mahogany waves.

"Toby." he replied. "And thank you so much. I don't know anybody here so…"

Spencer smiled reassuringly. "One of my best friends goes here but we're in different programs and have no classes that overlap. So I'm on my own too."

He followed her dutifully, weaving in and out of the student body with relative ease. Once they got up one of the brick staircases, he fell into step beside her.

"Is this your first year?" Toby asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah, I just graduated high school in June."

"And you already know this building better than me." he commented amusedly.

She laughed. "How about you? What's your story?"

He smiled. "It's my first year _here_. I transferred from Rhode Island School of Design after just a year of study because my dad remarried and we moved. But I have an apartment here with my step-sister now so it really was redundant."

"Do you get along well with your step-sister?" Spencer asked curiously.

Toby grimaced. "We uh… she's intense." he settled on, causing Spencer to giggle.

"I'm going to take that as a no." she teased.

He chuckled and shrugged, nodding a little. "That'd probably be wise." he agreed amusedly.

She smiled. "I have an older sister. We don't really get along the best either. We were close when we were younger, but once she went to school and had friends that weren't mandatory… well, things changed." she explained casually.

He nodded in understanding.

They seemed to have reached their destination and he read the title above the door as he entered after her. The auditorium held around two hundred students and Spencer scanned the crowd, looking for seats closer to the front.

Toby tried to hide his amusement as he settled in a spot only a few seats up from the back. There were two free seats, one on either side of him, that she was welcome to sit at if she chose or their friendly companionship could end there. He was leaving it up to her.

She settled with a sigh next to him. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"How can you even see back here? And if I have a question, I'm going to have to _bellow_ it so the prof can hear me…" Spencer grumbled.

Toby laughed at her. "You can try to find a seat closer but I really don't think there are any. The Profs usually come around with their mike so the rest of the class can hear your question too. If you can't see, ask me. I've got twenty/twenty vision." he teased.

Spencer nodded, but looked disappointed.

"You're one of those keener types, aren't you?" Toby pressed, looking far too amused as she shot him an annoyed glare that wouldn't scare a kitten.

"I don't believe striving for excellence and high academic standing should be classified in a bad way." she told him stubbornly, pouting slightly in annoyance. He tried really hard not to find it adorable.

"It's not a bad thing, it's just entertaining to watch." he explained good-naturedly, grinning at her when she rolled her eyes, trying herself not to smirk. Her failed attempt at hiding it only made him grin wider.

Seeing his reaction, she crossed her arms, accidentally knocking her pen off her desk again.

Toby picked it up for the second time that day and leaned over to offer it to her, shaking his head amusedly at her. "You're clumsy too."

"Thank you, smart-ass." she retorted, but she flashed a sincere smile at him in thanks.

Toby pulled back and got comfortable at his desk. Spencer watched him carefully out of the corner of her eye. She hadn't noticed until he got close how blue his eyes were. They were piercing and deep, like the depths of the oceans were confined inside his irises. It also had taken her this long to realize he was really good-looking. He had great bone structure and a sweet, dimpled smile full of straight white teeth. His lips were extra pink and the tone of his skin and his build suggested he did a lot of work outside.

Thankfully for Spencer and her ogling, class began and she tore her eyes away from the man next to her to pay attention to the lesson.

She was oblivious that Toby took advantage of her distracted concentration to do similar scanning of her, also appreciating the view.

* * *

After class finished, Toby felt nervous for what happened next. He wasn't really good at making friends. He was always the quiet outcast in high school who kept to himself. It's not that he was disliked; he just didn't talk much which didn't lead to any real budding friendships.

Now that he went to university in a completely new place he hoped for new beginnings. He wasn't sure if Spencer and he were embarking on friendship or if she was just being nice.

He took his time gathering his stuff, wanting to leave at the same time as her so she didn't think he was running away from her but also allowing her to leave ahead of him if she wanted to just bid him farewell and move on with her life.

Spencer smiled at him as they walked together to a less noisy spot. "Do you have another class now?"

"No, actually I have a couple hour break." he told her, preparing for the goodbye.

"That's awesome, same here. Do you want to grab some coffee or something? I'm sort of an addict." she added with a cute giggle.

Toby smiled broadly. "That sounds awesome. I actually know where all of the coffee spots on campus are." he said bashfully.

She laughed. "You and I are going to get along just fine."

He liked the sound of that.


	2. Chapter 2

Things to look forward to in this chapter: Spoby cuteness, meeting Jenna, some secrets are revealed... but not completely :) Also, this chapter is one of the longest I have written, so hopefully you don't mind.

I should mention - Jenna is not blind in this story. There was no Alison, so there was no The Jenna Thing. Those menacing green eyes have 20/20 vision.

Also, I mention a debate about terms I stole from Legally Blonde, since I've never taken a law class haha in case that looks familiar too. It's just mentioned in passing but I felt credit should be given where its due :)

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

A few weeks passed and the two were gradually becoming inseparable. They had yet to hangout outside of campus grounds but texted for hours each night and spent all of their breaks at school together.

Toby found himself looking forward to the twice a week he had full mornings and lunch break with Spencer and the once a week he only had one class and it was with her. After that he'd always walk her to her next class before heading out for the day.

Spencer was so grateful for that first day when she dropped her pen like a moron. If she hadn't, she wondered if Toby and her would've become friends. She offered to help him after class because he had assisted her only moments before. Toby too wondered if he hadn't had all of those red lights he grumbled about at first, if he would've sat next to her and set off the next tumble of well-timed events. It was too easy to get lost in the shuffle in a university of this size. They may have never crossed paths.

In French, they got paired up for a project and lightly high-fived under their desks in victory. Madame Boudreau smiled amusedly and dished out the instructions as Spencer vigorously copied down notes and was the only one in the room to probe at the specifications.

After class ended, Spencer linked arms with him outside in the hall.

"So, as the top keener in this school, I want to get started on this project as soon as possible." she told him, smiling sweetly, knowing he wasn't quite as ambitious as she was.

He chuckled, feigning a sigh of acquiesce. "_Fine_." he said exasperatedly, a teasing glint in his eye. "When does your criminology class end this afternoon?"

"Two-thirty." she replied.

"I'm done at one-forty-five. Do you want me to meet you at the library or do you want to do this elsewhere?" he asked, trying not to feel excited at the fact that she was keeping their arms linked for the duration of their walk to Calculus.

"If it's not too much trouble, let's meet here. If need be, we can just find some books to use and head somewhere else if it's too crowded."

Toby nodded his agreement and they settled into class in their usual spot half-way down. It was the best of both of their worlds and they just sort of hit a mutual understanding at some point over the past few weeks. They found it rather easy to compromise since they both had the common goal of wanting to stick together.

* * *

After his final class of the day, Toby got home in record time to clean up the apartment. He didn't think they'd be coming back there but if they were he wanted it to be presentable. He never had guests and he'd probably be a pretty poor host, but at least the place would look nice.

Thankfully Jenna had class until four so he was free to clean without disturbance. Toby piled the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher, wiping the counters down fully and clearing the junk off the table next to the front door and the coffee table. Once everything was in its place, he pulled out the hand-vac to clear any crumbs off the couch from one of Jenna's 'girls nights' and took out the heavier-duty vacuum to clean the floors. Their apartment had a mix of laminate and carpet so they had a double switch vacuum that sucked up dirt from both types of flooring.

Once that was complete, Toby set to work on dusting the furniture and wiping down the TV. As a precautionary measure he changed his bed, since it was too much of a mess to fix, and cleared his clothes off of his floor. He did a rush job of cleaning in the bathroom, flushing the blue cleaner water down the toilet so if Spencer did in fact come over she didn't suspect that he did exactly what he had done. He wanted her to think he lived like this all of the time or at least could. Basing things on her school habits, he was sure she lived in a very clean environment at home too.

Glancing at his watch, he realized if he didn't leave soon he was going to be late to meet her. He locked the front door and booked it downstairs.

* * *

Spencer beamed excitedly when she saw Toby leaning casually against the wall across from her class, hands in his pockets and looking far too fantastic in a leather jacket, t-shirt and jeans.

He smiled when he saw her. "Hey. How was class?"

She immediately perked up even more. "Great. We got into this really heated debate about clients who committed crimes malum in se or malum prohibitum and which you would rather as a lawyer and I totally schooled this one girl that was rubbing me the wrong way-"

Toby laughed as she delved deep into her sides of the argument, using more terms that he had no concept of understanding of, but knowing she just really wanted to share with somebody. He listened patiently but frowned when they reached the library doors.

Spencer's eyes widened. "Closed? CLOSED? How can they close the library when midterms are less than three weeks away?"

Toby peered at the sheet in front of them. "Apparently it's a routine maintenance thing. They've got to do inventory and make sure there hasn't been an infestation of rodents or something." He shrugged; universities really could do whatever they wanted.

"So what should we do?" Spencer asked, looking up at him hopefully.

"Well we can start researching using our textbook and online resources. My laptop is back at my apartment and Jenna's class doesn't end until four so we can have some quiet until at least then. Unless you'd rather stay here or go somewhere else?" he asked.

She smiled. "No that sounds great. How far away is your apartment?"

"Just a few blocks. Do you have a car here?"

She shook her head. "I'm only a few blocks too. I usually just walk."

"I can give you a ride… but you might not like my mode of transportation." he admitted apprehensively.

She looked confused until they found his vehicle in the parking lot and he pulled his helmet off the seat. He popped the back seat up and pulled out another more feminine helmet.

"I know not everyone likes motorcycles… we can definitely walk if you're uncomfortable. I can always come back for this later." he offered, nervous for her response.

She was simply staring. He knew some girls thought it was super cool, but others thought it was reckless and dangerous. Spencer had so far proven to be a pretty cool and unpredictable girl, but also showcased that she was raised with strong opinions and a certain regard to following rules.

"I've never been on one, but as long as you promise not to let me fall off, I'm totally game." she told him excitedly, grinning as she pulled on the helmet he offered her.

Toby grinned in return, releasing a large breath before climbing onto his bike. Spencer climbed tentatively on the back and he made sure her arms were locked tightly around him so they were pressed closely together. Although he enjoyed the close proximity it really was just for safety.

"I'm not glass so make sure you squeeze really tight. It takes some getting used to but you'll be fine. I won't be able to hear you very well but if you want me to stop or slow down squeeze me hard twice with obvious pauses between and I'll do so, okay?" he told her, not starting it up until he received her nod of confirmation.

After the motor started, Spencer wriggled closer, her legs spreading further apart and Toby tried not to think about how much of her was pressed against his backside.

"Hold on tight." he instructed and she pressed her face into his shoulder blade as he jolted forwards. She yelped in surprise but otherwise stayed calm and secure.

Toby pulled out of the parking garage and started them on their travels, smiling at the gleeful laughter from Spencer. She was clutching him tightly and as he slowed down, she leaned up to talk to him.

"Can we take the long way to your place? I'm not quite ready to give this adrenaline rush up." she admitted and he laughed, making a daring, but legal, move out of the normal path and jetting off down the highway.

He could feel her shaking with laughter and gleeful screams and couldn't stop himself from joining her in vocally expressing his enjoyment of this particular ride through the city with her. He hadn't ever had a partner on his bike and he certainly enjoyed the fun of company as good as hers. He had bought the second helmet as a precautionary measure in case the opportunity ever did arise and he was more than happy for his decision.

Toby stopped them when they were about twenty minutes out of town and had hit the ocean. Spencer pulled off her helmet and looked out happily at the sun shimmering across the water.

"I haven't been to a beach in forever." she breathed, pulling off her helmet and running a hand through her hair to put it back in place.

Toby tore his eyes away from her beautiful figure to take in the nature before him.

"We can get a closer look?" he suggested and she lit up like she hadn't even contemplated it.

"Let's go, Toby!" she exclaimed, kicking off her shoes and running down through the sand. She was as excited as a kid on Christmas and Toby shook his head in disbelief at how incredible she was. He never would've expected a girl who cared so much about school and structure to explode in excitement over running through the sandy terrain of a beach like this.

He laughed as he watched her run right to the shore and skip away with a squeak when the waves nearly reached her toes.

Toby padded over much more slowly, enjoying the warmth of the soil beneath his feet and the happy female in front of him. She was beaming at him and threw her arms around his neck in a hug when he got close enough.

He immediately swept his arms around her, holding her close, closing his eyes as the breeze rolled around them.

"Thanks for taking me here." she whispered, smiling gratefully at him.

He smiled tenderly at her. "I'm glad I followed my instincts. It's been a while since I've seen the ocean."

Spencer shivered into him a little as the breeze ripped through them again.

"Are you cold? I should've warned you about travelling via motorcycle… it's a hell of a lot colder than you'd expect." Toby said sympathetically as he shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over her shoulders despite her protests.

He knew she really _did_ want it however since, after it was in place, she tugged on it to tighten it to her frame.

"I'm really not that cold…" she said stoutly, catching his understanding look.

Toby smirked. "Oh, good, then you won't mind getting your feet wet in the cold ocean water…"

"Toby…" Spencer began warningly, eyes huge, squealing when he lifted her with ease and ran her over to place her down ankle-deep in the water. "TOBY!" she shouted, wrestling with him, trying to get back in his arms or past him to relieve herself from the water.

He simply laughed at her and fought back playfully. She kicked water at him and he ducked, trying to block her splashes. She one-upped him when he left his guard down and they toppled backwards onto the sand, tangling together as they cracked up.

Spencer looked over at him lovingly as Toby's body shook in silent laughs, his face totally blissful and child-like in that moment. She loved seeing him like this. She cuddled into his side and rested her chin on her hands on his chest so she could look up at him.

"We should probably head back and get some work done, huh?" she reminded him.

He sighed, absent-mindedly running a hand through her lengthy hair.

"You're probably right." Toby agreed, rolling over and getting to his feet, holding his hand out to assist her. He secured his jacket around her shoulders before sauntering off to the motorcycle waiting on the edge of the road.

Spencer passed it back to him despite his argument and they dressed properly before setting off again.

As they drove, Spencer was much quieter, snuggled into his back and absorbed in her thoughts. It had only been a few minutes but she had a really good time back at the beach with Toby. She felt like a different person; a person who actually knew how to have fun, not someone who spent from dawn until midnight studying quantum physics or something equally challenging. On that beach with Toby she could've played in the sand like a kid again. He probably could've convinced her to take a nap or just lay there letting the sun wash over and warm her skin.

They dismounted in his apartment building parking lot and Spencer lost her balance and fell against his chest. Toby caught her wrist and placed his other hand on her lower back, steadying her against him.

She found her eyes gazing up at him and settling on those lovely pink lips of his. "Toby…" she began softly, looking at him with vulnerability he hadn't seen in her before.

Her free hand slid up his chest to rest on his shoulder and she leaned up, feeling his breath tickling her skin.

"Toby!" another much more jovial voice called and the pair broke apart awkwardly, taking a step to separate themselves.

Toby sighed as he saw Jenna waving excitedly from across the lot, a wicked grin plastered on her face at the sight she had witnessed. He felt dread fill his veins at what she would say; he hadn't had time to warn Spencer about Jenna yet.

"Toby didn't tell me he had a girlfriend." Jenna said as soon as she reached the pair.

Spencer blushed and Toby felt mortified, terrified for her response.

"I'm not his girlfriend. Actually, I have a boyfriend myself." she confessed and Jenna wasn't the only one who looked surprised. Spencer had failed to notify Toby of that fact in their short time of knowing each other.

He tried not to but he felt hurt that she hadn't confided that rather important piece of her life with him. They had been friends for weeks and had talked about a lot of things. A romantic figure in her life should've been one of those things. He understood some people were more private but he wished he wasn't learning this because Spencer was correcting Jenna's assumption.

Although now he figured he had read the signals wrong and Spencer hadn't been just about to kiss him.

"OH sorry, I'm being so rude. I'm Jenna, Toby's step-sister and roommate." Jenna added fake-sweetly.

"Spencer. We're friends from school." she explained awkwardly, not really feeling that gave justice to her feelings but also trying to get her head screwed back on straight.

"Excellent. Well, are you guys coming up to the apartment or would you rather hangout in this sketchy parking lot?" Jenna asked amusedly.

Both teens looked at each other awkwardly before moving along and following Jenna.

Toby felt mortified that Jenna had to witness this. It would make it that much worse later on. It was bad enough Spencer was looking at him like she just realized he was the scum on her shoe, but worse with Jenna's smug smile shining in the background.

"Well you two sure are chatty." Jenna teased as they hopped off the elevator on their floor, no one having said anything since they boarded.

Toby rolled his eyes. He hated when Jenna talked like she was his mother and he was a shy five year old in the back of her soccer mom minivan. He was older than her for god sakes and she really had no right to butt into his life anyways.

"Once I get changed, I'll be heading out to Noel's for the night. Don't wait up, Toby."

He struggled not to roll his eyes for a second time. Like he ever would. Noel Kahn was Jenna's most recent conquest.

"Oh, and nice meeting you, Spencer." she added fake-enthusiastically.

"You too." Spencer murmured, her eyes on the floor, and Toby honestly wanted to die right then.

Jenna disappeared into her room with a grin and Toby immediately went to his room and threw his coat far too aggressively into the corner. He gripped his hair in his hands for a moment before spinning on his heel to head back out, but jumping in surprise since Spencer was directly behind him and he nearly ran right into her.

"Sorry." she murmured, but at least she was finally looking at him.

He shook his head and ran a hand over his face. "You shouldn't be the one apologizing, I should. I should've warned you about Jenna. I forgot that taking that detour meant we would get here later and her class would be done…" his voice was strained and he kept fidgeting, running his hand over his face, scratching the back of his neck, grabbing fistfuls of his hair in stress.

Spencer noticed and grabbed his hands to steady him. He couldn't look her in the face. He was mortified that Jenna had put Spencer on the spot like that after what had almost happened down there, the fact that she interrupted in the first place, and then her mothering all the way up to the apartment. None of it went as Toby wanted it to.

"Can we talk? Privately?" she asked softly.

He nodded and set her on the edge of his bed before getting up to close the door.

A hand stopped his shutting of the door and a familiar face beamed back when he released it.

"Now behave you two. I'm heading out now, just wanted to say goodnight!" Jenna chirped before tottering away.

Toby breathed through his nose furiously before excusing himself from Spencer, closing the door behind him and following his step-sister.

Unfortunately, the door didn't quite catch so Spencer could hear it all.

Jenna turned around when she heard Toby following. She chuckled. "You really lucked out with this one, huh, Tobs? I can't believe she didn't tell you about her boyfriend. Don't think I missed your devastated look."

Toby gritted his teeth. "Jenna, stay out of my business. My relationship with Spencer is none of your business. She was right; we are just friends. You don't have a right to come in and start poking your nose in where it doesn't belong-"

"I'm just trying to keep you from getting hurt." Jenna barked back, all traces of her sickly-sweet teasing tone gone. "She's a purebred, Toby, and you're just a mutt. One who seems to forget who their master is. Do you know how easy it would be to call up my mom-"

"Don't start, Jenna. You could chain me to this tiny apartment, but I would still never touch you like that again. You may be having sex with every guy who looks your way but you have no way of manipulating me the way you did at home. It's about time you grew up."

"Oh, _big_ words. This Spencer must be someone special. How fast do you think she'd be gone if she found out the truth about us…"

"We're history, Jenna, and trust me, there wasn't much there in the first place." he replied coldly.

Jenna huffed. "I've got a real man to get to. Pine after her all you want but I know you'll come crawling back to me before long…" she trailed off hauntingly as she fluttered her fingers in a wave on her way out of the door.

Toby stood in the living room, so furious he was seeing red, not sure what to do. He wished Spencer wasn't here right now. He paced for a moment before slamming his fist down angrily on his kitchen counter, shaking the dishes in the dishwasher. He leaned there, covering his face with his hands and groaning in irritation. Usually he could avoid Jenna pretty well at the apartment but today he was reminded why he never wanted to agree to share one with her in the first place. She got under his skin in the worst ways unlike anyone else.

"Toby…?" Spencer's shy voice came and he looked over to see her peeking around the door.

He sighed. "I'm so sorry. I've been the worst host since we pulled into the parking lot-"

She shook her head, silencing him. "It's fine, Toby, honestly. Are you okay?" she asked, stepping closer cautiously, as if she was afraid he might start shooting up the place.

He adjusted his hair, having made it misshapen with his stress. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just… Jenna is… she's difficult. We butt heads." he summarized, knowing that was a really downplayed version but not sure how else to explain it politely.

Spencer nodded. "She's something else, isn't she? She has some sort of superiority complex and is just a straight up bitch." she said matter-of-factly.

Toby laughed, causing her to smile. "Yeah, something like that."

Basing things on his still-stressed-out face, Spencer knew now wasn't the time to ask about what she overheard. She was rather confused on what was being implied although she had a pretty good inkling.

"Do you want me to go? I mean, we could find another time to do this…" Spencer offered awkwardly, not sure what Toby was feeling now.

"Well she's gone now, so we can actually get some work done. But I understand if you want to go. That was not exactly the way I planned on having you over for the first time…" he admitted.

Spencer smiled a little, touched that he cared so much about her initial experience at his apartment. She looked around. "You do have a nice place. Cleaner than I expected too considering you're a boy."

Toby hid a smile. "I'm probably not as OCD as you but I do like a tidy apartment." he teased.

She swatted at him. "Let's get to work, slacker."

He rolled his eyes at her but pulled out his books and settled beside her on the sofa. Before he could flip to the right page, Spencer placed her hand on his to stop him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Wren." she said, her eyes round in apology.

Toby took her hand in his, squeezing it back. "Don't be. I'm sorry Jenna forced it out of you. You're allowed to have parts of your life private, Spencer."

She nodded but looked down in shame. "I know but I didn't mean to seem like I was keeping it from you. It's just… our relationship is sort of complicated." she explained vaguely, looking torn on whether to continue.

Toby rubbed circles on the backs of her hands with his thumbs and simply waited patiently for her to either continue or give up.

Spencer bit her lip. "He's in his first year residency at St. Anthony's Hospital of Philadelphia."

_A doctor. Lovely._ is all Toby could think.

"So he's a few years older… which some people get weird about." she explained. "And…" she hesitated. "He was Melissa's boyfriend when I met him."

Toby smiled a little, understanding her apprehension. "I don't judge, Spence. You can't help who you fall for. I'm sure Melissa was less understanding about it though…" he mused.

She laughed. "She's not used to being second to me. My parents worship her and her needs are always put above mine. She's the favorite. I know, I know…" she began exasperatedly. "'Parents don't have favorites' but-"

Toby cut her off. "No, they definitely can. My parents do and it's definitely not me. Its part of the reason why Jenna feels she can talk to me any way she likes, especially here. No more fear of our parents overhearing her deceitful ways." he sighed.

Spencer squeezed his hands. "I think you're the first person who's ever understood that."

He smiled in return. "I could say the same about you." He shuffled closer and spoke quietly. "Look Spence, I know we haven't known each other very long, but you don't have to be afraid to tell me things. You're allowed to have your own life, but if you want to talk to me about anything, I'm here for you, okay?"

She nodded, trying not to tear up at his sweetness. She had never met a guy like Toby Cavanaugh, but she was extremely grateful she had.

She rubbed his hands that were clasped under hers. "The same goes for you, okay? I don't judge either."

He smiled gratefully. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he released her hands and moved his book back to the table. "I haven't eaten since we split that sub at eleven… do you want to go pick up take-out and work on this after we've eaten? There are a few decent places just down the street."

Spencer immediately got to her feet. "Sounds good. I didn't realize how hungry I was… Can we get Chinese?" she asked spontaneously, unintentionally pouting a little.

Toby laughed. "We can get whatever you want, Spence, that's the whole point of take-out."

She grinned and linked arms with him as they exited his apartment.

* * *

Back at his place, they lay sprawled out on his living room floor, books among them as well as various Chinese food containers. Spencer rarely ate something as unhealthy as Americanized Chinese food but she felt like being a little reckless after their day and she had been craving it for some strange reason lately.

"I hate conjugating all of these damn verbs…" Toby grumbled under his breath as he worked away while nibbling at his sweet and sour chicken.

Spencer smirked at him. "C'est dommage."

"C'est la guerre." he retorted with a roll of his eyes. He had been doing quite well in French so far but that was the easy stuff. He had a feeling it would only get more complicated from then on. However, he had been right that first day; Spencer was very intelligent and she was excelling in French. He wondered why she even bothered taking the class.

Once they finished eating, they carried their plates over to the sink. Spencer turned on the tap to rinse her plate of the sticky residue but Toby must not have placed the sprayer completely in its home after cleaning earlier, since when she did he got a jet of water straight to his face.

Spencer had burst into laughter, immediately turning off the tap. Toby's face dripped with water and he fake-glared at her as she clutched onto the counter to stabilize herself.

"I-I'm so-sorry." she breathed out between giggles, trying to stop herself from laughing at his expense but unable to pull it together. It was a complete accident but she still found it hilarious.

"Yeah, your laughter really makes you sound sincere." Toby said sarcastically, smirking despite himself. He used the hem of his t-shirt to wipe his face, accidentally revealing the left side of his torso. Spencer immediately spotted the black ink on his hip and instinctively reached out to stroke it.

He was surprised but managed not to get startled. He smiled a little sheepishly at her admiring gaze. "Yeah, so, I have a tattoo…" he said apprehensively, not sure how she'd feel about it.

She smiled, chuckling at his awkwardness. "I've noticed. I like it. It suits you somehow." she commented, not sure on the meaning but the script seemed to fit his personality; strong font but the simple black color making it not stand out or be too flashy. Toby generally kept to himself but there was a lot more to him than met the eye.

Spencer desperately wanted to ask him what it meant. _901 Free At Last_. She knew tattoos were personal though, and asking specifics on this one in particular seemed too intrusive. They had grown pretty close over their few weeks as friends but she didn't want to overstep her place. She was just born curious; it was why she did so well in school.

Toby observed her internal struggle, which she was very poor at hiding, and smiled slightly to himself. "September first is the day my mom died, a few years back now." he began. "She battled cancer for three years before treatments stopped working and she left the world. I got the tattoo a few months later since as much as I miss her, I'm happier that she's free from pain after all of that time."

Spencer moved closer and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He held her close in surprise but wasn't displeased.

"I'm sorry about your mom. I think that's a really good reason for a tattoo though. I've never believed in getting one just to get one. You guys must have been close."

Toby nodded. "Very. My dad was always working so we never really had a chance to bond. After my mom died, he remarried less than a year later and Jenna and her mom moved in that fall. He still didn't really know how to talk to me or anything so we just reached a mutual understanding of staying out of each other's way. He joined ranks with his new wife and then Jenna became the angelic child."

He really didn't like talking about his family so he placed a swift, platonic kiss to Spencer's forehead and released her.

"We should get back to work." he muttered, heading back into the living room.

Spencer tried not to feel cool at the loss of his touch. She followed dutifully, feeling bad for bringing up the sensitive subject.

* * *

Spencer was hiding yawns from Toby for as long as she could while they were hanging out, but he caught her and instructed they call it a night so she could get some well deserved rest.

Toby pulled up to the curb of her apartment building and slid off his motorcycle too so he could pack her helmet safely away.

"How is it living with your best friend? Do you want to kill each other sometimes?" he teased.

Spencer contemplated it. "Sometimes. Hanna's a character, but our personalities clash sometimes. We're both not afraid to speak our minds which can lead to a lot of bickering but no real fights. My best friends are more my sisters than friends." she explained.

Toby smiled. "All of your friends sound great."

"You'll have to meet them someday soon. Em's across the city over at Danby University and Aria's only about twenty minutes away at Hollis College."

"I look forward to it. For now, I should let you sleep. See you tomorrow, Spence." he told her, moving to walk away, but she stepped forward and gave him a quick hug goodbye, reaching up to place a tender kiss on his cheek.

Toby blushed automatically as did she.

"Thanks for everything today. I had a lot of fun. It's pretty rare that people can get me to chill out when I have work to do, so thank you." Spencer said amusedly.

He chuckled. "Glad to be of assistance."

Spencer waved him shyly off and headed inside.

Toby paused for a moment after he climbed on his bike, touching the burning skin where her lips had left. Maybe there was a chance for him one day. He would never make a move now that he knew of her relationship status, but if that status was ever to change, he would most certainly fight for her.

Meanwhile, Spencer leaned against the wall of the elevator as it climbed to her floor, sighing as she wondered what on earth she was going to do about the butterflies in her stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

Hopefully some of you will be excited by the character that's introduced in this chapter ;) I mention another one from season one, but she was a very minor role, and is just a filler.

I got the calculus equation off of Wikipedia, but it doesn't work out the full problem, so please do not follow my example as a guide for any math solving haha. I took Pre-Calculus three years ago and don't remember most of it, so I just improvised what I could remember with what was on wiki.

Also, Spencer mentions she's taking six classes. I'm Canadian, so I don't know how American, or any other universities, divide up their course loads. But the university I went to classified a full time student as three classes or more per semester. If you were in a program, you were taking five classes a semester. There was a way to take six classes, but you had to be approved by the professors and the dean or something, basically just go through a lot of extra paperwork. If anyone has read Harry Potter, it's like what Hermione had to do to get granted the Time Turner. You need to be authorized to do so and be a strong enough student. So, it only seems fitting that as a Hastings, Spencer takes on the hardest and fullest course load she can ;)

I believe I forgot to mention before, I try to keep my characters as in character as possible. So far the response on Toby and Spencer has been great, so thank you all so much! I'm hoping that continues with the rest of them. I try to do so, but they haveee grown up and are in a different environment, especially the way I introduce some new characters, so if they are a little off I do apologize! Let me know whats off about them that's upsetting you and hopefully I will get them back on track :)

This is one of myy favorite chapters so I hope you guys like it too :) Your reviews and response to this story so far has been fantastic, thank you all so so much!

LONGEST A/N EVER! SORRY! ENJOY!

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

After their first night at the apartment, Spencer started spending nearly all of her time with Toby there. They learned quickly they preferred being able to joke around and laugh together over the strict quietness and crowd at the library. Hanna often had her new friend Mona over at Spencer's place and the two were far too chatty to be able to even pretend to concentrate on their homework and Jenna was usually out otherwise she'd retreat to her room. Toby had happily noticed that Jenna wasn't Spencer's biggest fan so she usually avoided the two of them when he had her over, which worked wonderfully for him.

Recently however they had much less time together since midterms were closing in and Toby had gotten a job at a coffee place off campus. He was saving up for some new parts for his motorcycle and for extra money to add to his tuition savings. University was crazy expensive and he really didn't want to be in debt until he retired.

It had been a couple months now since school had started. Since they hadn't seen each other properly since August, the girls decided to meet up for coffee and to catch up. It being less than a week until midterms, Spencer refused to get together unless they all spent some solid time studying.

They all wanted to do well on their first round of university exams so they agreed.

Spencer claimed a table at the roomy coffee place and the other three went up to place their orders, Aria promising to pick up Spencer's usual.

Unbeknownst to Spencer, Toby was working this particular shift and took their orders with ease with his coworker. So far out of everyone, the guy he was working with today had to be his closest friend in this town besides Spencer.

"God did you see the size of her-" was the start of his sentence and Toby immediately was changing his opinion on his like for the guy until he finished it unexpectedly. "-eyes, on that tiny brunette? And she ordered a Venti pumpkin spice latte. That's my kind of girl." he told Toby as he prepared the drinks at the back counter.

Toby smirked. "Falling for girls based on their coffee orders? Never knew you were so deep, Ezra."

Ezra rolled his eyes at him, sending him one of his boyish smiles before getting back to preparing Aria's double order.

Toby had already gotten the blonde girl's taken care of but the raven haired girl still was scanning the menu hesitantly, looking uncertain.

"Can't decide?" he prompted with a small smile.

She blushed a little, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I just don't drink coffee or tea and most places like these jack up the sugar in their hot chocolates which gives me the shakes. I'm not really the adventurous type when I have no idea what the things taste like…" she admitted.

Toby contemplated her predicament. "Well, if I may offer a suggestion… you don't necessarily have to get a hot drink, unless that's what you were gunning for. We do frappachinos which aren't all mocha… your best bet would be either the vanilla bean, which basically tastes like vanilla ice cream, or the strawberries and cream one which is sort of like a strawberry milkshake flavor."

She looked impressed with that idea and started nodding. "The strawberries and cream one sounds good."

Toby glanced over at Ezra who was giving flirty eyes to the brunette and spoke in an undertone to the girl. "If you hate it, it'll be on the house and I can make you something else." he promised.

She smiled broadly. "That's really sweet of you. I guess I'll get a Grande size. That is medium, right?" she asked quickly.

He chuckled, nodding and accepted her cash before going off to the blender to start her beverage.

Once finished, he passed it over to her. She took a tentative sip and laughed at his nervous expression. "It's actually delicious. Thanks…Toby." she said, reading his name tag. Then something clicked. "Wait, are you Spencer's Toby?"

He looked surprised. "You're a friend of Spencer Hastings?"

"Yeah, sorry, I'm Emily."

"The swimmer at Danby U. I've heard of you." he mused. "Is Spencer with you?"

"Yeah, she didn't mention you worked here though."

He scratched the back of his neck. "I haven't had much time to talk to her recently. She's… hardcore when it comes to school work, which I'm sure you know. But I've only worked a few shifts."

"And here I was, blindly trusting that you were a well trained professional." Emily teased, sipping happily at her drink.

He laughed. "Well I did practically live here before I got hired. I figured I might as well get paid if I'm here this often; plus it's pretty low stress and is flexible with my school schedule."

"Understandable. Well I better get back. Thanks for everything." she added.

"No problem." he replied before getting back to work. He grabbed a cloth and began cleaning the back counters. It was the middle of the afternoon so it wasn't too busy of a time for them.

"So who was that?" Ezra sing-songed, leaning against the counter with a smirk. "You seemed pretty friendly."

Toby shrugged. "Hardly. She's a friend of Spencer's. I was just being nice as was she."

"You can't say you didn't find her attractive though. She was beautiful." Ezra noted.

His friend rolled his eyes. "Yes, she was, but I didn't feel any vibe of that variety there."

Ezra sighed. "That's probably because you're so hung up on Spencer."

Toby chose to ignore him.

Ezra sighed again and got in Toby's way so he'd stop working and just listen for a minute. "Look, I get it, man. Spencer's an incredible girl. But right now she's taken. Maybe you should explore your options rather than wait around for her. If she's dating some guy that complicates her family life so much, he must be something." he said sympathetically, having heard the full story of the mystery girl on one of Toby's more vulnerable nights.

Toby hated how right he was. He was believing more and more these days that he and Spencer would always be just friends. It was about time he accepted it.

"You're probably right, I shouldn't wait around for Spencer. But I'm not going to date one of her best friends. I'll leave that to you."

Ezra looked confused. "What do you mean?"

He chuckled. "Well, if that was Emily, that means the blonde I served was Spencer's roommate Hanna and the brunette you're obsessing over is Aria."

"Aria… that name sounds familiar. It's so… exotic. What can you tell me about her?"

"Uh… as far as I know, she's the creative one of the group." Toby offered uncertainly, not really sure what he could share on a girl he had never met.

Ezra looked intrigued. "Wait, creative how? Artistic? Does she write?"

Toby rolled his eyes. "I think she does a bunch of different things. But you should ask _her_ if you're so interested."

"Well I just need an in…" Ezra suggested slowly.

Toby was about to retort sarcastically when an excited voice interrupted.

"Toby! Why didn't you tell me you worked here?" Spencer demanded from the other side of the counter.

Before he could reply, his boss came out. "Toby, you're off the clock. Ezra, your break will be in a half hour."

Toby nodded his thanks and hung his smock on the wall before exiting from the counter to embrace his best friend.

"Sorry Spencer, we've both been so busy it just never came up. I think I met your friends." he added as they pulled apart.

She smiled affectionately at him. "Emily thinks you're really sweet and as far as I know, Hanna and Aria are enjoying their drinks, so I think you're in the clear." she teased.

He chuckled at her. "Technically Ezra made yours and Aria's. I just helped Emily make a choice."

"Well you're her new favorite person. She's in love with that strawberry thing now. She wants to try the vanilla one next. I told her to mention your excellent service to your boss. Is he the one who told you to go?" she asked, peering around him to spot the middle-aged man.

"She doesn't have to, I was happy just to help out. I didn't even know she was your friend until afterwards." he explained, blushing a little, not used to a lot of positive attention from people.

She rolled her eyes. "All the more reason to give it recognition. You're a sweet guy, Toby, and it'll definitely help you excel in a place like this. Don't be so modest." she chastised.

Toby shook his head amusedly at her. "You should get back to your friends. I've got to finish those practice questions for Calculus…"

"Oh, thank god, do you want to come join us? We're all just studying and I could really use your help." she pleaded, squeezing his hand.

"You guys don't get to see each other enough as it is…" Toby began apprehensively. "I'd just be intruding…"

"Don't be ridiculous, they're all dying to meet you properly what with how much I ramble on about you and plus, Hanna's friend Mona is coming later and Emily's girlfriend Maya." she explained, dragging him towards her friends.

"I don't have my stuff…" he reminded her but followed, not really having a choice in the matter. He understood further why he hadn't felt a vibe with Emily earlier like Ezra hoped; there was a possibility she wasn't into his half of the population.

"All you need is paper and a pencil which I'll give you. We can share my calculator if need be but most of this stuff is mental math anyways. I really need your help on those stupid derivatives…" she told him and they reached her circle of giggling girls. "Guys, this is Toby. You already sort of met him, but _ta-da_."

Toby smirked at her introduction and they all exchanged pleasantries before he sat next to Spencer who had been taking up the entire two-seater sofa with her texts and notes.

"How far are you?" he asked quietly as he settled next to her, accepting her chunk of loose-leaf and a freshly sharpened pencil.

"Chapter three, question fourteen b." she replied.

His eyes widened a little in surprise and she typically went into panic mode.

"What?"

"I'm just further than you. I'm halfway through chapter four."

Spencer basically started hyperventilating; looking at him in a panic that would rival finding out there was a bomb three seconds away from exploding them.

The other girls braced themselves for the explosion.

Toby immediately jumped in before she could lose it, trying not to laugh. "Spence, I'll help you. Once you get through the next five, the rest of the chapter is pretty redundant, but good practice. Chapter four is really easy too."

"Toby, I have to nail all of this by Tuesday! And we still have to finish that French presentation, not to mention my four other exams-"

"Spencer, _I will help you_." he enunciated slowly. "I'm off Saturday. Come over in the morning, I'll make you breakfast and we can go over any of the problems you got stuck on and we'll do a few full practice runs of our French presentation. You're going to ace all of these, you know it. Breathe… and drink more coffee."

She nodded, exhaling deeply, feeling reassured by his words. She sipped at her drink and he chuckled.

"I don't know how a caffeinated beverage can calm you down, but who am I to argue with a Hastings…" he teased.

She shot him a dirty look, but smiled against her wishes.

The other girls were watching with fascination. Spencer was never one to listen to rationality near exam time, especially if she found out someone was ahead of her in studying. But even they had to admit there was something soothing and reassuring about Toby's voice and overall presence. He was so mellow and calm you just listened to him like a lullaby.

"What are you stuck on?" Toby asked her quietly, realizing the other girls were sort of staring at them and feeling self-conscious. He hadn't meant to distract them from their studies.

"These damn derivatives. I don't remember how to simplify it when f`(3) and lim h 0. Do I sub in zero or three for h?" she asked irritably, scrambling through her notes for examples.

Toby stopped her hands from scurrying and placed them back in her lap.

"You've got to remember not to think of derivatives like a two sided equation. First thing you've got to do to this side is simplify using what you have."

"But that still leaves me with (6h+ h2)/h. If this isn't two sided, I can't multiply by h on both sides." she said exasperatedly. "Now do I sub in h?"

He shook his head. "Spence, slow down that brain of yours. You're getting ahead of yourself. What does it mean if something is squared?"

"A number times itself." she answered automatically.

"Right. So h2 would be h times h, right?"

She nodded.

"So can you simplify without multiplying anything...?"

Her eyes brightened. "So I just cancel them out and then I'm left with 6+h."

"So _now_…?"

"So it's just six? It's just six!" she exclaimed happily, finally getting it.

Toby laughed and rubbed her lower back reassuringly. "You've got it. I'm going to grab a coffee. Try the next one yourself." He stood and stepped over the misshapen bags and books to exit their area.

"Toby, I should get it for you since you're helping me-" Spencer started but upon her imitation of trying to get through scot-free ended up catching her foot on the strap of one bag and tumbling forwards.

Toby heard her cry of surprise and with lightning-like speed flew down on one knee and caught her in his strong arms in an almost dance-dip pose.

The breath nearly got knocked out of her in surprise at the catch and those deep blue eyes of his. He was so close to her; she felt his chest rising and falling and his face was filled with concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

She couldn't speak, just nodded, not tearing her gaze from his.

"You know, I've only known you about two months and you have to be the clumsiest person I've ever met." he teased.

That broke her trance. Spencer Hastings was not one to take teasing lying down.

"I'm starting to think it's your fault." she told him as they straightened up. She blushed as she realized the girls were staring with their mouths agape. "I mean, ever since you sat next to me in French, I've been dropping things constantly and tripping over my own feet."

"Maybe it's just university in general that's affecting your coordination." he countered with a smirk. "And thank you, but I don't mind getting my own coffee. I might be able to get it free with my connections here and all…"

He winked at her and headed over to the counter. Spencer tried really hard to even out her breathing before she sat back down.

Hanna was the first to lean forward. "Alright, start spilling. NOW."

Spencer laughed, but it came out shaky and nervous, so she knew she was sucking out loud at being subtle. "Spilling about what?" she asked nonchalantly as she could.

Emily even rolled her eyes. "Toby and you. There's definitely something there."

"I'm with Wren, remember?" she retorted, going back to her papers and trying to stop the blood rushing to her face.

"Spence, he just swooped in there to catch you from falling like a knight in shining armor! He's totally sweet and offered to make you breakfast for crying out loud!_ I_ want a guy that makes _me_ breakfast and helps me study." Hanna pouted.

The other three sent her a look.

"More like hold your bags while you shop." Spencer reminded her.

Hanna rolled her eyes. "We all have different goals in life." she replied simply.

"Anyways…" Spencer drawled, hoping for a subject change.

"Pretending Wren is not in the picture, can you really deny you feel something for him?" Aria asked her kindly.

Spencer sighed and glanced over to see him laughing with a guy a few years older than them with a boyish smile. "I know I do. But it's complicated even without Wren. He's got some sketchy past with his step-sister-from-hell, who he _lives_ with."

"How sketchy are we talking?" Emily asked in concern.

Spencer hesitated. She didn't want to air his dirty laundry, especially when she didn't know the full story. "I… I don't know. I just know they don't get along and that she's pretty psychotic. I witnessed that much firsthand. He hasn't told me about it yet though and I don't want to pry. It's obviously personal and he doesn't really owe me any answers."

The other three nodded understandingly.

"I know Wren's got that whole British doctor thing going for him, but Toby is definitely not bad on the eyes. Blondie over there certainly thinks so." Hanna added and hid her snicker when Spencer's head snapped up in alarm. The lithe blonde was chatting with the boys but her eyes kept darting back to the one still in a smock.

"I think she's more into his friend." Spencer said casually, working away at her math problem.

"Well _I_ think she's making a fool of herself." Aria inputted under her breath.

Her best friends looked at her in amusement.

"Defensive much?" Emily teased.

"Oh please, Aria's been glancing at him every few seconds since he complimented her beverage choice. The two of them made googly eyes at each other for a solid two minutes before I managed to drag her away." Hanna explained.

Spencer raised her eyebrows at Aria who was blushing and avoiding eye contact with everybody.

"He's got a really cute smile… it lights up his beautiful eyes." she added a little too dreamily, pretending to pay attention to the novel _To Kill A Mockingbird _in her lap.

Toby finally returned and they all shut up with the girly talk.

"So Toby, who are your friends over there?" Hanna immediately asked.

He sipped at his coffee before glancing back at the pair. "Well Ezra's my best friend from work; he's the guy behind the counter. Simone is the girl and she's a student at Hollis College. Ezra TAs one of her classes and she's sort of obsessed with him. He's too nice to tell her he's not interested, just plays up the excuse that it's a conflict of interest to date students in that class. She hangs around here a lot."

"Wait, Ezra is the guy? Isn't that a girl's name?" Hanna asked, snickering, while Spencer shot her a have-some-tact look.

Toby chuckled. "Don't let him hear you say that. It's a sensitive subject, although I think he secretly agrees."

"So is he not interested in this Simone girl because he has a girlfriend…?" Aria asked, trying to be nonchalant.

"Don't mind Aria, she just wants to know if she should ask him out." Hanna inputted with a wicked grin.

"Han!" Aria scolded irritably, looking embarrassed.

Toby hid a smile for Aria's sake. He looked at her seriously. "He's most definitely single and rather smitten with you actually. I'd say it's worth a shot."

Aria immediately perked up. "Did he say something about me? What EXACTLY did he say?"

Spencer and Emily looked at each other amusedly. She sounded far too much like Hanna there.

Toby chuckled. "I don't know if it's against the bro code or whatever to tell you, but besides liking your coffee choice, he loves your eyes and wants to know more about you. The only thing I knew was that you're labeled as the creative one of the group but he was curious what exactly that entails. He's a writer himself and is in school to become an English teacher."

Her eyes lit up. "Really? I think I'll be majoring in English and I'm considering teaching."

"He's taking his break any minute. I can get him over here if you want to properly meet him?" Toby suggested, knowing Ezra wouldn't need any convincing.

Aria blushed. "I mean, would that be too much trouble? I don't want him to know I asked you!" she added as Toby stood.

He chuckled. "I promise to be as subtle as I can. He hasn't met Spencer yet, I'll just play up that story." he promised, heading over to talk to Ezra again.

Aria immediately began checking her reflection in her mirror, making sure she didn't have anything in her teeth and touching up her eyeliner.

"I've never seen you this way over a guy, Aria." Emily commented honestly.

Aria smiled as she snapped her compact closed. "I just… it'd be nice to meet a good guy. I figure if he's that close with Toby he must be a pretty decent guy."

Spencer smiled to herself. The girls obviously really liked Toby; not that she thought they wouldn't, but it was nice just the same.

Toby came back with a smock-less Ezra and they all quieted down.

"Ezra Fitz, this is Spencer and her three best friends Emily, Hanna and Aria. I think you served Aria earlier." he added as if he wasn't sure, wanting to open a window for the pair.

Ezra greeted them all friendlily and immediately sat in the seat between Aria and Toby.

"Pumpkin spice latte, right?" Ezra asked Aria, who smiled brightly in return.

"That'd be me."

"I feel like we're ruining the barista-drinker relationship by coming out from behind the counter." Ezra added to Toby who laughed with the others.

"Nigel will probably lecture us later about keeping the magic alive." he agreed, thinking of their rather dedicated boss.

"I'm pretty sure we don't care as long as you still make us coffee." Spencer proposed.

"Well of course _you_ would say that." Toby teased and she swatted him.

"Do your proofs." she ordered and he laughed and followed suit.

Ezra and Aria were already becoming engrossed in a deep conversation about the hidden meanings and themes in _To Kill A Mockingbird_ and Hanna was showing Emily something on her phone and the pair were giggling.

Spencer leaned closer to Toby and spoke quietly. "They love you so much. Be prepared to be invited to all of our get-togethers from now on."

Toby smiled. "I was terrified to meet them but they all are great as expected."

Spencer was surprised. "Why would you be so nervous? I know I didn't go into many details about them, but they're really nice."

"No, I know. I knew they'd be great because they're friends with _you_." he clarified and she looked flattered. "But I'm always nervous about meeting new people. I'm quiet and it's not the best company for everyone."

Spencer nodded, understanding. "Well we all have our chatty moments, especially Hanna, so you're golden. Emily's a lot like you actually. Really sweet and passive." she added, looking up into those azure eyes again.

He smiled, the skin crinkling around them and smiling his dimpled happy smile that she adored.

After a few moments of intense eye locking, they broke their gaze to casually get back to work.

Hanna and Emily finally broke apart their gossiping and the blonde decided to propose an idea.

"I think we should all celebrate next weekend. Go out for drinks somewhere. Frankly, it has been too long since me and Jack Daniels had a rendezvous and I'd really like to see him again."

"I'm sure it hasn't been that long. You're the one who brought a flask to homecoming that time." Spencer reminded her.

Hanna sent her a look like why-is-that-a-big-deal. "And _Emily's_ the one who drank it."

"Can we not take this trip down memory lane?" Emily asked hopefully, pretending to concentrate on her history assignment.

"Anyways, so, next weekend…" Aria encouraged, trying to get things back on track.

"Right. Everyone can invite their friends and their boyfriends/girlfriends and we'll all just blow off some steam since all of our exams will be done by then. Say Saturday night?" Hanna proposed happily.

There was a murmur of agreement between everyone and the plan was set in motion.


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter is pretty short and pretty filler, just general Spoby fluff :) Next chapter the fun and drama begins ;)

The dresses the girls are wearing are all real... Aria's was featured in season three, the one she's wearing when she buys Ezra sandwiches :) Spencer and Emily's are from one of the promotional photos for season twooo I believe. Hopefully I've described them well enough for you to find them, but if you type Spencer Hastings in Google Images its the second picture... and when you find the shot of the four of them, with her in that dress, you'll see Emily's. Hanna's is from the dance marathon where A makes her breaks Lucas' heart and dance with him over Sean all night in season one. I tried to describe them the best I could, but I didn't find it easy haha.

You may also recognize Spencer's outfit at Toby's apartment from 2x11 :)

Someone mentioned in a review about Ezra's age. I forgot to mention, but I do not have him in this story as being six years older than them. I don't naturally have a problem with that, but I feel like its a better fit if he's only a couple years older. He's a TA at Hollis so he's still only a few years into university. I put him at about two years above Toby, three above the girls, because Toby is a year older in the show than the girls. Hopefully that's okay with you guys, but it's really not a big deal to the overall story either way haha.

Thank you all so much for the reviews, you've all been so great! I'm trying to keep steady updates so you guys stick around :)

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

Saturday came quickly and Toby was pulling out all of the stops for preparing an extravagant breakfast. He had accepted the fact that he and Spencer were not going to surpass being friends, at least for a long time, but that didn't mean he still couldn't impress her sometimes, right? Really, he was just being a good host…

A knock came on his apartment door and he was for the millionth time grateful that Jenna was away to an art exhibit out of town for the day. He practically skipped over to let Spencer in.

She looked beautiful in just a simple black layered tank with lace trim on the top and skinny jeans. She had ankle boots on which she quickly kicked off happily, setting her school bag next to the couch.

"Okay, you were right, chapter four was easy but I'm stuck on some stuff in chapter five so can we please go over that before we move on to French, although if it is taking too long I say we stop and go back to it-" she rambled quickly the second she entered his apartment, not even offering a greeting.

He felt like a sap but he found all of her quirks rather endearing. They were what made Spencer who she was and he happened to like that person very much.

"Breathe, Spence." he had interrupted. "Let's eat first. We can talk about a study schedule over food."

Spencer nodded and made her way over to the dining table when she gasped. "Toby, what the hell? Are you serving the queen or something, this looks amazing!"

Toby hid his smile of pride. That was the reaction he was hoping for.

He had made up everything he could think of. Fluffy pancakes grilled to perfection; berries and various fruit chopped up and put into bowls next to yoghurt; steaming coffee in mugs and orange juice laid out in fancy glasses; bacon and scrambled eggs and seasoned home fries in separate dishes. He wanted it to be perfect.

"I uh have never cooked for anybody before. I got a little over-enthusiastic…" he admitted. There wasn't a buffet level of food, but if they each had a regular serving of everything they wouldn't need to eat for a week.

She laughed and squeezed an arm around his waist. "You are so cute and far too sweet to me. I'm taking a picture of this and sending it to everyone I know." she said, snapping a shot with her phone.

He blushed. Now everyone would know how hard he was trying to impress her.

"So… you hungry?" he asked hopefully.

She giggled. "I'm starved. Let's eat."

Spencer picked up that Toby was worried about something when he was pushing his home fries around on his plate, not speaking much after they had finished their meal.

"What's on your mind?" Spencer asked kindly and he looked up in surprise, having been so consumed in his thoughts he almost forgot she was there.

He opened his mouth to argue but she seemed to sense this and sent him a look, promptly shutting him up from starting it.

Toby sighed. "It's… stupid. It's about next weekend."

"Can you not make it?" she asked quickly, sounding almost a little panicked.

"I can… I'm just wondering if I_ should_ go." he admitted as he rose to put his dishes away. Spencer followed with hers, assisting him in tidying up the table.

"Why wouldn't you? My friends love you, you know that."

"They're all great, don't get me wrong, but I don't really know them yet. With you bringing Wren and Emily bringing Maya and Ezra and Aria being attached at the hip and Mona coming with Hanna… I'm going to be pretty third wheel-like. I'm sure Wren doesn't come to a lot of your get-togethers because of the age gap and I don't want to be intruding on your time together by hanging off of you like a ball of lint when he's making an effort to hang out with your friends-"

Spencer laughed, but not in a mean way, putting a hand on his forearm. "I don't think I've ever heard you ramble but I have to say it's pretty adorable."

He blushed at the compliment, refusing to look at her now.

"Toby, it won't be like that. We're all hanging out as a group. I want to see my girls too. Ezra's going to want a wingman and Wren's coming late anyways. Mona's not coming anymore so Hanna will be in the same boat as you. Please come, I want to celebrate with the guy who is helping me so extensively to pass my exams." she pleaded, jutting out her bottom lip.

He was powerless to those big brown eyes anyways. "As long as you're sure."

She let out a monosyllable squeak of victory and dragged him to the living room. "I'm a hundred and ten percent sure. It'll be fun, I promise. Now, less party talk, more calculus."

Toby rolled his eyes at her but pulled out his books to get started.

* * *

Spencer woke up a few hours later, cuddled closely with something solid and very warm. It was breathing and she understood based on their legs being tangled together, that the height of said man was not her boyfriend. She inhaled and sighed in contentment at the familiar smell of Toby. She hadn't known him long but it was already a smell she could recognize and appreciate. It was a mix of cologne, saw dust and clean laundry. He just always smelled so fresh and comforting.

Toby was still asleep, so Spencer snuggled back into his neck, not caring that she was practically clinging to him. This wasn't the first time she ended up cuddling with him and although she always felt a little guilty about it, she hoped it wasn't the last time either. She secretly loved the way he held her; it was strong, protective and adoring. He had this uncanny ability of making her feel secure and that always helped lull her to sleep for the few times, like today, he would force her to nap.

They had studied for hours before he finally had to physically force her to stop working. He had picked her up like a rag doll and threw her over his shoulder, carrying her into his room despite her screeches of protest. Once he had placed her carefully on the bed and she lay down, she realized how exhausted she really was. She had been up until two am the night before studying for her Criminal Law and Russian History classes. She agreed halfheartedly to the nap but only if he had one too.

He lay next to her and they talked quietly about peaceful things, nothing academic in sight, and fell asleep quickly. This hadn't been the first time they had woken up from a nap intertwined. Spencer didn't want to admit it, but she had a feeling it was their subconscious' leading their movements, their brain sending signals to the neurons to force them to move closer.

Spencer gradually realized that one of her hands had slipped under the hem of his t-shirt and was resting on something hard and bumpy. It was just above his belt and she felt herself blush at realizing how physically fit he must be to have abs like that, and how incredible they must look. Her hand reflexively twitched, wanting to pull his shirt up to take a peek despite her brain's protests that it was a bad idea.

The spasm didn't go unnoticed by Toby however since he began to stir. Spencer tried not to move, hoping he'd assume she was still asleep. But he was smarter than that.

"Hey." he murmured sleepily.

Spencer fought not to let out an 'aw' at how adorable he sounded right then. She blinked to clear her vision.

"Hi sleepyhead. How was your nap?" she asked softly.

"Very refreshing. How about yours?"

She contemplated it. She did feel much less stressed. Maybe Toby was right; maybe she did need to take more breaks. She knew it was scientifically proven that you could obtain more knowledge by taking short breaks every hour or whatever but she couldn't usually relax during that break enough for it to even count, so it really just wasted more of her time. Now that she had had a power nap she felt much more focused and prepared to handle reviewing her complicated courses.

"Really nice." she sighed contently, closing her eyes again and nuzzling into his shoulder. With pink cheeks, she slipped her hand out from under his shirt.

He chuckled at her attempt at subtlety. "We both like to move in our sleep, huh?"

She nodded, her eyes still closed, not caring that she wasn't pulling away in the slightest despite his words. She should have been pulling away casually, feigning unconscious movement being the sole reason she was so near him. The truth was she liked being near Toby as often as she could. His heartbeat even was so calming and reassuring; a reliable steady beat thrumming beneath his firm chest.

"Spence, do you want to get back to studying or do you need more sleep?" Toby asked tenderly, brushing some hair off her forehead gently.

She groaned. "We should study…" she admitted but could feel her tired body protesting. The heavy weighted need to sleep was beginning to consume her again. If she didn't fight it soon, it would win.

"Or you could sleep for a few more minutes. We've got time."

"Mm okay…" she mumbled. "But don't you dare leave. You're so comfy…" She blindly grabbed at his shirt and yanked him closer, not letting him get away.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise. Go to sleep, honey." he soothed lovingly.

He didn't need to tell her twice. She was already gone.

Toby observed her face become more serene and her breathing even out. He smiled to himself. She really was something. He loved that she didn't want to separate their cuddling any more than he did. Maybe she didn't even realize how much he enjoyed it, but holding her felt like they fit. He'd never felt the same sort of protectiveness and intense caring over another individual before.

Spencer hummed in her sleep, snuggling closer, breathing a sigh of bliss against his neck. He shivered at the feeling, instinctively reaching up to skim his fingers through her hair. He played with the end of the strands, lulling her back into peaceful dreams.

_We're just friends. JUST friends._ Toby mentally chanted to himself. He knew if he was Spencer's boyfriend and he found out she was doing this cuddling with another guy, he wouldn't be happy about it. But he couldn't bring himself to push her away when she so obviously wanted to. He hated himself for being so weak, and he knew it wasn't terminologically_ cheating_ by any means, but the feelings that went with it made him feel like a bad person.

He rationalized that Spencer didn't have those feelings when they cuddled, so it didn't count.

Spencer finally stirred a few minutes later, groaning unhappily.

"What's wrong?" Toby inquired in confusion.

"Calculus and French were my easy subjects. I've got Criminal Law, Russian History, English Lit-"

She shut up when Toby started laughing.

"That's the first thing on your mind the _second_ you wake up?" he asked her incredulously.

She smirked. "And you act like you know me… don't underestimate a Hastings, Toby, you'll always lose." she teased, sitting up and fixing her hair. She stretched her arms overhead and revealed just a sliver of toned abdomen.

Toby tore his eyes away out of respect. "I'll remember that. Guess it's time to get back to reality…" he said, the dual meaning taunting him.

They both exited the room, each sneaking a glance back at the bed, already missing the warmth of each other.

* * *

After Spencer left that afternoon, Toby knew he had to start behaving more like her friend and less like he was in love with her. As the week went on, he stopped touching her in any way that he wouldn't with another one of his friends. She'd go to hug him and he'd turn it into a much less intimate side-hug. He stopped wrapping an arm around her when they were studying and let up on napping with her all together, knowing his body wouldn't stop wanting to be closer to hers even when he was unconscious.

He did it as subtly as he could, but he worried she noticed his change and blamed herself. He wasn't doing it because he suddenly didn't want to be close to her; it was just that being that close to her wasn't helping him accept their platonic relationship any easier. He couldn't keep parading around like her boyfriend when he was just her buddy. Plus with the weekend looming, the last thing he'd want is to be too friendly with her in front of her boyfriend and have him suspect something else was going on when it clearly wasn't.

Spencer didn't go out of her way to change his mind about the whole thing so he figured she was in agreement that they had been too touchy-feely, especially as of late. He missed being so near her, but he knew this was what was right. His feelings were getting too jumbled and he was driving down a self-destructive path if he kept it up. The last thing he'd want is to ruin his relationship with her and lose her completely because he couldn't keep his feelings in check. And Toby knew if they kept going down this road he was going to slip up and do something stupid.

* * *

However, Spencer _was_ aware of his new behavior and was very confused. She brought it up with the girls as they all got ready together on their club night at her and Hanna's apartment.

"It's just… one second he's making me an extravagant breakfast and we're napping together and he's holding me close… the next he's sitting at the other end of the couch and waving goodbye at my door like I have garlic breath and feelers sprouting out of my head…" Spencer complained desolately, rolling on her eyeliner to make her eyes pop at the club later.

"Wait until he gets an eyeful of you in that dress." Aria told her encouragingly, smacking her lips together to rub her gloss around.

Spencer was dressed in a dressier business-style dress. It was purple on top, sleeveless with a loose fitting to create a more alluring figure. The bottom was black and tight to her long legs, the heels she was sporting making it seem even shorter than it was. She had a multi-chain necklace on her neck and her hair down in luscious waves. It had been a while since she had gone out, but she secretly knew who she was dressing up for, and she didn't want to admit even in her subconscious that it wasn't for her boyfriend who she hadn't seen much of lately. She wanted Toby to be reminded of what he was missing.

"Ezra's going to love you in that." Spencer replied, not offering an answer to her comment.

Aria was in a short pink and black dress, lace trimmed top and a belt around the middle. She was always sporting high heels, trying to make up for her short height. Hanna was dressed much more casually than the others for once, wearing a simple black floral dress with a flattering sweetheart neckline. She let the accessories flare up the outfit plenty instead. Emily on the other hand, always the modest beauty, was in a relatively short dark blue dress with ruffles on the hem and v-neck seam, showing off her handful of cleavage and looking amazing with her dark complexion.

"You know, something else might be going on with him, Spence. He's obviously into you… maybe he's just trying to be less obvious about it." Hanna suggested.

"I don't want him to be interested in me…" Spencer lied. "I just don't want him to be mad at me or something and too afraid to say anything. Once people start keeping secrets like that, friendships fall apart. He's really important to me; I don't want to lose him."

"You won't. Talk to him tonight. Before Wren gets there so there's no distractions and he doesn't feel any pressure." Emily told her supportively.

Hanna looked at her strangely. "Okay, how come Emily is the only one here not interested in guys yet she knows them the best? How is that fair?"

The others laughed. She sort of had a point. Emily was always the best at advice, but often times her best advice was about dealing with boys.

"No matter what, tonight we're going to have fun." Aria said happily, looking around at her three best friends and excited that they were truly reunited.


	5. Chapter 5

Another fun character is introduced in this chapter, and, well, more foul language. Sorry. The other very minor character I bring in is from the episode where Ezra does his short story reading, and the name of him was listed differently when I looked it up for confirmation. I hear Hardy when they talk about him on the show, but on IMDB he's listed as Artie. So I went with what IMDB said haha. But he's played by Patrick Adams, who is Troian Bellisario's (Spencer) real life boyfriend. So I thought it'd be fun if they had a little interaction, and wanted to give Toby an option to be a knight in shining armor, because I'm cheesy like that.

This chapter is pretty long too. The whole bar sequence I wrote in a giant chunk and had to split it between three or four chapters for it to work. This chapter ends on a cliffhanger, but I promise I'll update soon :) I've been updating steadily every two days, and despite the lack of reviews last chapter, I wanted to continue that streak because you're all so awesome.

For the sake of the story, they all have fake IDs... I know drinking age in the US is twenty-one and they most of them are still under twenty so like on the show, they're rebellious guys and girls ;) It's not a very strict bar which explains the amount of characters that are in the club haha. I'm Canadian so drinking age here is 19 or 18 depending on the province which is why I forgot completely...

Also, I should note, I don't believe in asking for reviews but I do wait for a certain number before moving on. The more people that review, the more I realize that people are actually enjoying this story, the faster I update ;) The circle of fanfiction life. I always love your guys' feedback and I am trying to improve as a writer since I obviously need some work so please, any constructive criticism is welcome along with what you guys like about it! You're all rockstars! Thanks so much for the support thus far :)

...this chapter is superrrrrr long compared to my others. Sorry! Hope you like it :)

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

"God, does she have to dress like that?" Toby muttered under his breath when he saw the girls enter the club later that night with their arms linked and giggling into each other.

Ezra, oblivious to anything except the one in pink and black, replied. "Huh?"

Toby rolled his eyes. "Pick your jaw up off the floor."

Ezra, flustered, ran a hand through his hair and tipped his beer back. "Spencer looks good, man."

"No kidding." his coworker replied sarcastically, gulping his beer down a little too quickly. "That's the problem. I've been trying to separate myself a bit. But it hasn't been easy. _That_-" he said, referring to the beauty waltzing towards him with a coy smile in a far too flattering dress. "-isn't helping me control myself from keeping my hands off of her. And now I sound like a hormonal ass."

"You're too hard on yourself." Ezra told him honestly and the conversation dropped when the girls came into earshot. "Ladies, so glad you made it."

"It was their idea." Toby reminded him, breaking the ice nicely.

The girls laughed at Ezra's expense.

"Let's get drinks." Hanna, of course, suggested eagerly.

"Hey Em, where's Maya by the way?" Aria asked.

Emily smiled. "She had her last exam tonight, so she's coming a little later."

"Wren's supposed to be here by eleven." Spencer inputted, sidling up next to Toby and looking above his head with concentration.

He sent her a confused look at what in the world she was doing, chuckling at her randomness.

"I knew it. I'm taller than you now." she said proudly, kicking up one of her heels to demonstrate how.

Toby straightened from his slouching and stood directly in front of her, trapping her against the bar. "Not quite. You look beautiful by the way." he added, his voice softening along with his eyes.

Spencer smiled, seeing the distant look that had been in his eyes all week evaporate and be replaced with his normal admiring affection. "You look pretty incredible yourself." she told him honestly, tugging on his leather jacket. He was dressed in his jacket, a blue t-shirt and dark pants. The color of his shirt was making his eyes more brilliantly blue than normal.

Toby stepped back, annoyed for forgetting his deal to himself, and swiveled so he was leaning against the wood next to her.

"Going to get a drink?" Toby asked her, trying to get more on track.

She smirked at him. "You just want to see me drunk."

"Well yeah, why do you think I agreed to this?" he teased and she pushed him playfully.

"I'll have a rum and coke." a unfamiliar, but very sure voice claimed from a few feet away. Toby turned to see a dark skinned girl around their age leaning against the bar, sporting a confident grin as she looked over at their group.

"Maya! You're here already!" Emily cried excitedly, rushing over to envelope her in a hug.

Maya pulled her into a sweet kiss and smiled brightly when they broke apart. "Of course. I couldn't wait to see my girl."

"Maya, this is Toby and Ezra." Emily said, holding hands with her girlfriend, looking as brightly lit as a city at night in happiness. Maya had arrived after Toby and Ezra left the coffee shop the other day so this was their first meeting.

"Nice to meet you two. I've heard a lot about you guys, especially you Toby."

Toby was surprised.

She continued amusedly. "I hear you're good at _turning Emily on_ to new things." she said rather suggestively and Emily groaned.  
"Maya, he's not used to you yet. Play nice." she begged.

Toby laughed, understanding she was just fooling around. "Yes, I've been told my barista skills are superior."

"He makes a mean caramel macchiato." Ezra added, nodding seriously, trying to keep a straight face.

The others chuckled at him, always enjoying the dynamic between Toby and Ezra.

"Well, now that we're all equipped with the fuel we need…" Hanna said, shaking her already-half-empty cocktail. "I say it's time to get out on that dance floor."

Before anyone could say anything, there was a loud excited outburst. "TOBY _FUCKING_ CAVANAUGH!"

Before Toby could even fully turn around, someone tackled him, crashing him against the thankfully sturdy bar. He could only make out a mop of shoulder length dark hair and when the person pulled back, he gaped at him.

"Caleb! What in the hell, how have you been man?!" Toby countered with excited laughter, embracing him properly in greeting now. He couldn't help but beam at his old friend.

"Good, good. Why aren't you in Rhode Island still? I thought you were going to school there." Caleb said, running a hand through his hair to fix it from their scuffle.

"I was, but I transferred to Penn State after my dad married the step-monster. Now I live with her spawn a few blocks from here. Why are you here, I thought Seattle was your next stop?"

"Yeah, I got tired of the rain pretty fast. Hooked up this job from an old buddy of mine and decided I needed to check out what Philly had to offer." he explained.

Everyone was sort of staring at them, trying to piece together who the new guy was, and Toby quickly realized he was being rude.

"Wow, sorry guys, this is Caleb Rivers. We worked construction together two summers ago. He kept me sane while he lived in Rhode Island." Toby clarified, gesturing to the man next to him.

Caleb scoffed. "More like you kept me sane. He kept me out of trouble too. Half our construction team wanted to beat me up on a regular basis. I'm rather clumsy… can't forget the time I dropped that two by four on you…"

Toby rolled his eyes. "I'm just lucky it wasn't high up. I only was badly bruised. Any higher and you would've broken my collarbone."

Caleb grinned. "The point is that I _didn't_."

"Well this kid did stuff like that on a regular basis. I had to step between you and a few of the bigger guys on more than one occasion." Toby recalled fondly.

"No one messed with Cavanaugh." Caleb agreed.

The others were surprised, mostly Spencer and Ezra since they knew him better. They had always found Toby to be so passive and gentle. It was weird to think of him being feared by others.

Toby understood their expressions. "I never actually got into any fights. I was just pretty good at talking people down."

"Plus he's secretly ripped so they wouldn't dare take their chances." Caleb interjected, causing Toby to punch him playfully.

"CALEB! You're off in an hour and a half, stop slacking and get back here." a man behind the counter barked and Caleb sulked.

"Better get back. But got to say, bartending is way better than construction; hot girls, wicked tips and barely any heavy lifting." He ducked under the flap to get to the bar. He leaned over to speak with all of them directly. "Since you're Toby's friends, come through me and I'll take care of you."

After he disappeared, everyone turned to Toby.

"You're basically a celebrity." Hanna noted.

He shrugged. "Just an old friend."

"He seems rather fond of you…" Ezra said teasingly.

Toby rolled his eyes. "Trust me, he's straight. Too much so. He's a charmer and uses it to his advantage on a regular basis. It doesn't surprise me that he's excelling at bartending. It's like a dream come true for him."

Spencer was watching him with interest. Toby had always made it seem like he hadn't had many friends. But as she looked at guys like Ezra and now Caleb, it was hard to believe more people weren't hiding somewhere in his hidden past. They both seemed to completely adore and respect him, not that she blamed them in the slightest. But she felt intrigued to unravel the mystery of the man before her.

"Let's dance!" Emily suggested, linking arms with Maya and Hanna.

Hanna cast a glance back at the bar before deciding to follow the other two.

"Hanna can't already want another drink, can she?" Aria asked tiredly, not wanting to have to carry Hanna home before midnight hit.

"I don't think she was looking at the_ bar_…" Spencer said pointedly, nodding towards Caleb who was cleaning glasses at the back.

Aria grinned. "No way. I hadn't even been watching her. Did she do the face?"

Spencer nodded vigorously. "Oh yeah, she definitely did. She thinks he's cute."

Toby and Ezra looked bewildered. They'd never understand women.

"Toby, do you think you can convince Caleb to hang out with us after his shift?" Spencer asked.

Toby nodded. "Yeah, of course. It'd be great to catch up with him anyways." He headed off to talk to him, leaving the other three alone.

"Trying to hook up all of your friends with Toby's friends, huh?" Ezra teased her.

Aria raised her eyebrows at him. "What other friend is being matched up?" she asked slyly.

Ezra went pale. "Uh… I wasn't saying… well I just thought… um…"

Aria laughed. "Come on, lover boy, let's dance. I love this song." she teased, grabbing his hand and dragging him to join the others.

Spencer shook her head amusedly at them, sipping the last of her gin and tonic. She was really happy they were hitting it off. They seemed to have a lot in common and a great deal of chemistry between them.

"Can I buy you another?" a tall, sandy-brown haired man asked her with a smug smile. He got off his stool a couple down and casually leaned next to her. She couldn't help but notice he had ice-blue eyes and long eyelashes. He definitely wasn't bad looking, but it didn't really matter either way.

"No, thank you. I'm good." she replied as politely as she could, pointedly angling her body away from him so he would catch the hint.

Naturally, he didn't. He took another swig of his rye and sighed contently as he placed it on the counter next to her empty glass. "Oh come on, a beautiful girl like yourself shouldn't be drinking alone."

Subtly Spencer glanced past him to see Toby enraptured in a story Caleb was telling, laughing at whatever was so funny. How she wished he would hurry up and come back over. Looking out into the crowd, her friends were all laughing and having too much fun to notice she was being hit on. She knew they'd notice if she went missing or something, but she'd appreciate the rescue before she truly needed it…

"Ah, but I'm not drinking alone; I'm with my friends. They're just off dancing right now. I wanted to finish my drink first." she explained, no emotion in her voice. She didn't want him to think she even wanted to make conversation.

"Oh, great, so do you want to dance?" he asked. "I'm Artie, by the way."

"And I'm not interested, thank you." Spencer said frostily, not liking how close this guy was getting. He was officially in her personal bubble.

She took a step away from him but he reached up and caught her wrist. "Not so fast, hun. I have a better idea than dancing." he said lowly, grinning wickedly now, not letting her arm go despite her attempts to take it back.

Fear shot up Spencer's spine. He was strong. She felt her fight-or-flight instincts kicking in.

Before she could do anything, there was a cold, yet familiar, voice from behind the guy.

"I believe she said she wasn't interested. You can let go of her now and back off." Toby said quietly, seemingly completely calm and collected.

"I don't remember asking your opinion." Artie shot back, turning to look at his rival.

"And I don't remember giving you an option." Toby said much more dangerously, stepping forward. "Take your hands _off _of her."

"Is this your boyfriend?" Artie asked, looking entertained. Spencer finally noticed the rather prominent slur in his words. He was pretty drunk.

"I'm warning you…" Toby growled, only inches from Artie now. He reached up and pried Artie's fingers off of Spencer, who whimpered and backed up quickly.

"What are you going to do exactly?" Artie challenged. "I'm just looking for a good time, man, same as everyone here. She just looks like she could be a lot of fun." he added suggestively, smirking as he checked her out from head to toe.

Toby's fist clenched at his side and started quaking.

"You better stay the fuck away from her if you know what's good for you." Toby told him, his voice shaking a little as the fury overtook his body.

Artie seemed to size him up for a moment before rolling his eyes and leaving. It didn't seem to be his first rejection since he looked to be giving up all together, heading for coat check and leaving the club moments later.

Toby stood stalk-still for a moment, his eyes still seeing red. Spencer's hand reached out hesitantly to touch his and he jumped in surprise, forgetting she was there.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, watching him carefully. She never expected Toby to look so frightening.

The fire died in his eyes at her words and he sighed as the anger left his body. "I should be the one who's sorry. I know you can take care of yourself. I didn't mean to go all alpha-male…"

Spencer shook her head, squeezing his hands in hers. "No, I'm so glad you stepped in. He was freaking me out. I didn't expect you to be so…"

"Protective?" Toby supplied. He ran a hand over his face stressfully. "I didn't either. I've never wanted to hit somebody before, but that guy made it pretty easy…" He corrected his throat, collecting himself. "I don't like guys who talk to girls like that, especially when that girl is you. You're so much more than a pretty face." he muttered, picking his beer up off the counter and taking a swig, hoping it might calm his still-rattled nerves.

Spencer's eyes teared up a little at his sweetness. It had only been a few days, but this was the Toby she had missed. She knew she was just overemotional because of what could've happened had he not stepped in. She always assumed if something like that ever went down she'd know what to do, but she had been so paralyzed with fear that she hadn't been able to think. All she thought about was how she wished Toby would come.

Toby noticed her tears and put down his bottle, looking concerned. "Spence, what's wrong?"

She sniffed and grabbed his hands, pulling him to a quieter part of the bar.

"If it's about that tool, it's okay. It's over. He's gone. And I'm not letting you out of my sight again." he told her seriously, rubbing up and down her arms soothingly.

She smiled, tears falling now. "It's not just that. It's… everything. That whole time that guy was hitting on me all I could think about was you saving me. I know it sounds stupid… but there wasn't anyone else I could contemplate coming to my rescue the way you could, and did. I can't even see Wren doing that." she admitted. "Even now, he's late, again. I can't rely on him, on anyone, the way I can rely on you. You just… I don't know how, but you've always made me feel really safe. I think that's why I can do crazy things like jump on the back of a motorcycle with you and not have a worry in the world. I love my girls, but I really think you're my best friend."

Toby stared at her an extra beat before pulling her close, pressing his face into her neck and breathing her perfume in. He didn't like how much a simple gesture like that had such a calming effect on his body, but he also couldn't bring himself to care right then. He wanted to do nothing more than protect and love this girl for the rest of his life. He would never understand what it was exactly that had made him so completely enraptured in her, but he couldn't fight it.

"I'm starting to realize the same thing about you. Whenever I get good news, you're the first person I want to tell. I can talk to you about anything and I'd do anything for you." he confessed, reaching out to caress her face and brush away her tears with his thumb. She leaned into his touch, her tears falling faster, but he understood they were joyful tears.

She leaned up to kiss his cheek affectionately and hugged him tightly, feeling so much safer when his strong arms wrapped around her.

* * *

Meanwhile, the others were taking a dance break and were ordering drinks at the bar.

Caleb nodded towards the intertwined pair secluded in the corner of the club. "So what's with the lovers-not-being-lovers thing?" he asked as he poured out Emily's double vodka lime.

The group laughed.

"I didn't know what Emily was talking about until I saw the intense eye-sex they have every time they look at each other." Maya inputted, watching Spencer and Toby holding each other and talking quietly.

"Spence is dating this British doctor-in-training and she thinks she's happy. But they don't look at each other like that." Hanna explained, smiling tenderly when she saw Spencer laughing into Toby. He obviously was trying to cheer her up.

Caleb observed the pair carefully. "I've known Toby a while and I've never seen him look at a girl like that. He used to be my wingman a lot of the time. A lot of girls go for him, but he never reciprocated the gesture any time I was with him. He just didn't seem to want to start a relationship with anyone unless it really meant something. I think he's finally found it."

"So why won't he go for it?" Aria asked, hoping that if Toby made a move Spencer would wake up.

Ezra stepped in. "Toby respects her and her relationship status too much to do anything. He wants Spencer to be happy. He's not going to try to get in the way of it. He's been trying to separate himself from her so he'll keep his feelings in check. He knows he could lose control around her any day now. He's been trying to accept that they'll always just be friends. He's okay with that as long as he doesn't lose her."

Hanna sighed. "Why does he have to be such a martyr? Can't he just be a man and tell her how he feels?"

"He's being more of a man by letting her go." Caleb commented quietly, watching his friend's eyes change as he and Spencer separated. "She's too much under his skin now. If he took the risk and she rejected him, he wouldn't be able to handle it now that he's had her. Even though it hurts him to see her with someone else, he's willing to do anything to keep her happy."

Hanna looked at Caleb in surprise, not expecting something so deep and feelings-oriented to come from him. It sounded as though he was speaking from experience.

"Honeymoon's over." Emily commented, nodding towards the door where a shorter guy with a charming smile was paying cover.

Spencer and Toby were already making their way back over, laughing at something and grinning at each other.

Spencer finally seemed to spot her boyfriend and excused herself to go greet him. Wren smiled brightly at her when she approached, pulling her into a quick kiss.

The other secretly glanced at Toby's face, seeing his eyes show pain for merely a moment before he put his guard up. He smiled when he reached them. "Tired from dancing already?"

"We just needed to refuel." Maya explained, gesturing to the second rum and coke in her hand.

"How are you doing man?" Ezra asked Toby quietly, trying not to draw attention to it.

"Fine." Toby reassured him with a small smile, patting him on the shoulder gratefully.

"So Toby, those moves you pulled earlier… they would've worked wonders last summer too. I mean, normally you do well with your words but don't think I missed the way you were going to clock that guy." Caleb teased as he passed him another beer.

Toby smirked at him. "If it had come to it, you know I would've had your back." he told him seriously, fist bumping with him.

"What happened?" Emily asked in confusion, the others having missed the entire exchange earlier.

"This guy was hitting on Spencer when I was off talking to Caleb. He went a little too far with it so I set him straight." Toby explained.

"Cavanaugh nearly threw a couple punches in but the guy gave up before he could." Caleb added unhelpfully, snickering at the look Toby sent him.

"You know, I don't know everyone here _that_ well, and after _your_ input tonight they're going to think I'm some loose cannon." Toby told him amusedly.

"Nah, we all know it's 'cause it was Spencer. You're just super protective of her." Hanna told him.

Rather than respond, Toby just sipped at his beer. He wasn't used to everyone's eyes being on him but it was like they were all expecting him to confess to something.

Thankfully, they all seemed to understand nothing of the sort was forthcoming so they went back to normal. Caleb headed to the other end of the bar to serve some new customers.

"So, for all those that don't know, this is Wren." Spencer announced, her hand intertwined with her boyfriend's. "So that would be… Maya, Ezra and Toby." she said, gesturing to each person in time with their name.

After the normal pleasantries were exchanged, they all decided to sit for a bit and found a large table that would seat them all.

Toby was between Ezra and Spencer and was trying not to pay attention to Wren's loving hand on her bare knee.

"So how did everyone's exams go?" Wren asked conversationally.

There was a series of half-hearted murmurs around the table. Spencer, of course, was prepared to share every answer she put down, probably in chronological order.

"I felt really good about Russian History and Criminal Law. Me and Toby nailed our French presentation." she added, looking over at him affectionately. "But I'm worried about Calculus. I felt good about it at the time, but now I keep going over everything and worrying. I mean, one small mistake in the beginning and the whole answer is screwed."

"They posted all the marks for the math classes already." Hanna blurted out without thinking.

Spencer's eyes went huge. "They WHAT?!"

She immediately took out her phone and began typing furiously, going through a series of web pages to get to where she needed to go.

Wren squeezed her knee. "Maybe you should wait until tomorrow… enjoy tonight with your friends before stressing over your grades?"

She shot him a dirty look and he chuckled, giving up. He, like the rest of the table, knew all too well that Spencer would be finding out her mark tonight and that was final.

With a sigh, she read the grade. "Ninety-two. Thank god."

Hanna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you must have done horrible…"

Spencer stuck her tongue out at her childishly. "It's too hard to tell with math, Han. History and Law, yeah, you either know it or you don't. Math you could make one stupid little mistake that ruins everything." She offered her phone to Toby. "It's all thanks to you I did so well. Do you want to check yours?"

He smiled at her and took her phone, knowing she secretly wanted to know how well he did. "You wrote that exam, not me, Spence. But sure." he finally agreed. He typed in his numbers and found the page, opening his grades chart. "Eighty-eight." he told her, exiting quickly and passing her phone back.

"That said _ninety_-eight, Toby-" Ezra began, but winced when Toby stepped on his foot.

The other girls hid their laughs as Spencer's eyes went huge.

"Toby…"

He put his hands up in surrender but she started smacking him anyways.

"Don't-you-lie-to-me-Toby-Cavanaugh!" she said, firing words between hits. He was laughing and wrestling her in return, trying to push her away.

"I didn't want you to get upset about your great mark and then start going over every answer on the exam from memory like you're Hermione Granger…" he explained, getting into a tickle fight with her.

Gradually he realized that her boyfriend was next to her and everyone was entertainingly watching them.

Spencer seemed to realize it at the same time since she stopped too, fixed her hair and caught her breath. "Well, congratulations. You deserve that. Calculus is your bitch."

Toby chuckled at that. "It better be or I'd never be able to get this degree."

"What are you studying?" Maya piped up curiously.

"Architecture. I've worked alongside a few carpenters and have done a lot of construction on building sites in the city, but architecture is my ultimate goal. I've already got a guy who wants to hire me when I finish school, although that's so far away I doubt it'll stick." he admitted.

"He'll have to get in line anyways. Everyone is going to be fighting over you." Spencer said proudly.

He shot her a grateful smile.

"Have I shown you a picture of his dining room set? He made it himself." she continued, passing her phone around, and he was blushing now. He wasn't used to compliments or being the center of attention so everyone's enthusiasm in his work was sort of intimidating.

"Wow, Toby, that's beautiful!" Aria exclaimed, loving the intricate details on the legs and border of the table. The chairs had a similar pattern etched into them.

"Thanks." he muttered quietly, picking at his beer bottle label again, a nervous habit. He hadn't seen the point in buying a bunch of furniture when he could make the most of it himself. He wasn't about to tell them that the majority of the furniture in his apartment was handcrafted.

"Let's leave poor talented Toby alone and go dance." Hanna suggested, understanding the look on his face and feeling sympathetic.

Aria didn't even need to ask Ezra this time and Emily and Maya were already leading the way.

"You guys coming?" Hanna asked, looking at Spencer pointedly, reminding her she had yet to go on the dance floor.

"I'm going to get another drink." Toby muttered, sliding out of the booth. Hanna patted him on the shoulder comfortingly and he sent her a dazzling smile, squeezing her hand in thanks. "Caleb should be off any minute, by the way."

She blushed but didn't say anything more. "Spence? Wren?"

"I think I'm going to follow Toby's example and get a drink. You go, have fun with your girls." Wren told Spencer sweetly.

Spencer sighed. He had run late and now he wasn't even going to spend time with her? "Meet me out there?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, we'll see." he said noncommittally.

She forced a smile and gladly took Hanna's hand as her friend excitedly pulled her to the dance floor.

"I'm so happy we're doing this tonight." Hanna told her, leaning into her as they strode out to join Maya, Emily, Aria and Ezra.

Toby was sipping at his beer and laughing with Caleb when Wren arrived. He smiled friendlily, hoping the guy didn't hate his guts for his overly-cutesy actions with his girlfriend minutes before.

He didn't seem to, since he smiled right back. "What are you drinking?" Wren asked, nodding towards his draft.

"Strongbow." Toby replied. "Wren, this is my friend Caleb by the way. We used to work construction together."

"Nice to meet you." Caleb called from across the wooden barrier.

"Same to you." Wren answered, drumming his fingers on the counter as he looked over the various bottles full of alcohol behind him. "Well, I think I'll stick with scotch tonight. Better make it a double. It was a long day."

Caleb smirked in understanding and nodded, fixing it up for him.

Toby looked over at him, finally noticing how exhausted he looked. "Being a doctor sounds pretty amazing, but I can imagine it has as much hardship as it does reward. Plus the shifts you pull are insane."

Wren thanked Caleb for his drink and turned more fully towards Toby, seeming surprised by his insight. "I definitely love it, but you're right, the things that aren't easy can be overwhelmingly difficult. You pull through for those rewarding moments that make it all worth it, but some days it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel."

He swigged back his drink and emptied half of it instantly. Toby masked his surprise but didn't pass any judgment. He could never be a doctor, even if he had the strength in the necessary subjects.

"All the power to you." Caleb interjected from behind, leaning against the wood as he awaited another customer.

"You know, Spencer considered being a doctor. She'd be great at it. She's got the grades for sure." Wren commented as he drained the rest of his glass.

Toby met Caleb's eyes subtly. Drinking a double scotch that fast was probably not the best idea. Although, he supposed, he had no idea what Wren's alcohol tolerance was.

"Spencer's also very good at arguing though." Toby inputted amusedly, remembering all too fondly times where she tried to fight him on something. He'd love to have an ethics class with her or something to see her really get into it. "Her passion for justice and law is inspiring. But she has the power to excel at anything and everything."

Wren nodded in agreement. "You've got that right. I'm a lucky guy."

Toby forced a smile. He needed a topic change right about now; talking about Spencer with her boyfriend was dangerous territory. And it hurt. A lot.

"God, she's beautiful." Wren murmured under his breath, but Toby still heard him. He followed his gaze to see Spencer laughing into Aria and Emily, her eyes lit up in happiness and her body still following the sensual rhythm of the song. She moved as fluidly as water, as if music was her oxygen and dancing was her lungs. It just looked so natural on her.

Toby had to look away. She had caught them looking and wiggled her fingers in a wave at Wren, giggling before turning back to her friends. The flirty glance between them reminded him of how much she would never be his.

Possibly because of the high level of estrogen, Ezra broke away from Aria to head to the bar where the other boys were. Toby was grateful when he sidled up next to them.

"The girls are going to try to convince you two to dance, fair warning." he told them amusedly as he gulped down more beer.

"I don't dance." Toby said automatically, causing the three men to laugh.

Caleb rounded the bar, finally off duty. "I'll protect you man. Bros before hoes." he added with a wink, causing Toby to roll his eyes but smile gratefully at him.

Sure enough the girls came over moments later with expectant grins on their faces.

"Everybody is dancing this time." Spencer proclaimed proudly, smirking at the men before her.

"Not if it's Bieber." Caleb commented as Justin Bieber's _Boyfriend_ started playing in the club. "That kid thinks he's so tough in this song and in general. Dude just has to whip his hair back and forth and all the preteens swoon like he just saved a baby from a burning building."

The girls tried not to laugh as Hanna straightened up, immediately on the defense. "You know what, just don't talk about the Biebs, okay? You don't know the Biebs, you don't understand the Biebs. Or his hair."

Caleb turned more towards her, grinning now. "And you know him, do you? Met him personally?"

She flushed a little but soldiered on. "I know him better than you do, that's for sure." she retorted with her arms crossed.

"Why, because you saw his movie?" he teased.

She huffed. "It's not just a movie, it's his life story." she claimed, not moving from her stubborn stance.

He rolled his eyes.

"After this song then? Wren? Please?" Spencer pouted, tugging on his arm, ignoring the two bickering idiots.

He placed a hand on her waist, pulling her into him. "For you, of course."

She beamed at him, higher than him by a couple inches because of her heels.

"Me and Toby will just observe from afar." Caleb added, high-fiving his friend who laughed.

"Oh no way, you're both coming." Emily told them with a grin, grabbing their forearms and attempting to tug.

Her attempt fell flat since both men were rather strong and didn't budge an inch despite her throwing all of her weight into trying to drag them away from the bar. She released with a sigh.

Toby smirked at Caleb. "I see your stubbornness hasn't wavered in the past year."

Caleb chuckled. "Hell no. I_ really_ don't like Bieber."

The group laughed, especially when Hanna huffed from her spot on the right.

Caleb suddenly turned serious and grabbed Toby's arm. "Jenna's here."

Toby felt his blood run cold, the previous light-hearted feeling escaping his body instantly. He looked over to see her grinning wickedly, starting to approach.


	6. Chapter 6

Another dose of foul language (sorry...), more Jenna drama (I just love her... she's so fun to write), and Toby and Jenna's true past is revealed. I had to make it a bit more dramatic, Jenna being more aggressive, for it to fit better, just so you all know.

Hopefully some of you noticed some moments from the show pulled in to this story in a different way already, last chapter especially featuring a couple examples. Keep an eye out for them and let me know if you spot 'em ;)

Your reviews last chapter were amazing, thank you sooo much! :D I updated a day early because you guys deserve it :) The only reason I haven't been updating daily is because I'm not actually finished writing this story yet and there's a lot of important details in the next few chapters that I still need the freedom to go back and adjust to suit the future chapters properly. I'm getting there with it so expect an update really soon :)

Also, I find it hilarious that some of you already hate Wren :) I'm such a Spoby shipper, glad others are with me on that. Don't worry, I make it easier to hate him in later chapters for all those that aren't feeling there yet ;) But I do like the guy so I try to make him multi-dimensional. I hate in stories when people just make the girl dating a complete jackass. I mean, I think Spencer of all people would have enough gall to stand up for herself and realize she deserves better if Wren treated her like crap 24/7. Just my opinion though.

Anyways, ENJOY!

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

He knew that look, and that woman in general. If she came over here to talk to everyone, it would be a disaster.

"Excuse me." Toby muttered quietly and broke away from the group.

Caleb watched in concern as did Spencer. They were the only ones who really knew that Toby and his step-sister didn't get along for more than just sibling rivalry reasons. Spencer didn't know the full story, but she hated the change in him every time Jenna came around.

"Who's Jenna?" Maya asked in confusion.

"Toby's wicked step-sister." Ezra replied, also looking troubled. He only knew there was more to the story than meets the eye, but Toby had never gotten into it and he hadn't pushed it. Basing things on his reaction to her, Ezra had a feeling he didn't want to know anyways.

"We should go dance." Emily suggested, realizing they were all gawking at the pair, but nobody moved.

Toby met Jenna halfway across the bar and she shot an entertained glance over his shoulder at the group.

"Making friends, Toby? That's sweet. Why don't you introduce us?" she asked sickly-sweet as always. It was the tone their parents lapped up like milk for a kitten but had a detectable edge to it to anyone with a normal sketch radar.

"Jenna, why are you here?" he demanded, ignoring her and getting straight to the point.

"Same as you, my midterms just finished too you know." She saw Spencer watching in special concern and laughed to herself. "What do you think Spencer would say if I started grinding up on you right now…" she whispered close to his ear. "Do you think she'd clue in to the fact that she wants to fuck you as much as you want to fuck her?"

Toby saw red and shoved her away, although not harshly. She didn't even lose her balance slightly despite her four-inch wedges. "I'm not into her for just that. I'm not _you_." he practically spat, furious and glowering at her.

Jenna's face lost its composition for a moment, seeming surprised, but as fast as it appeared it was gone. "Toby, you know that's not all I wanted from you. But I can't deny that you weren't fantastic at it. I still have fantasies about your perfect body above mine, making those sensual little moans you did…" she murmured, trailing a hand down his chest.

He took her hand off of him and gave it back, taking another step backwards so she'd stop touching him. "Those will only ever be fantasies, Jenna; I told you we're done forever."

Jenna ignored him and nodded over his shoulder. "Is that Spencer's boyfriend? He's cute."

"Yeah, and a British doctor, so don't even bother going over there to embarrass yourself. He's too intelligent to fall for your manipulative ways." Toby lied, not really knowing the guy well at all, but knowing if _he_ had Spencer he'd never look at another woman again.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Looks like you've got some stiff competition then."

"I told you…" he growled. "There is nothing going on between Spencer and me and nothing ever will."

"Poor Toby. Spencer sure can move; she's dressed so hot tonight even _I_ want to do her." Jenna confessed wickedly, checking her out from afar.

Toby glanced over his shoulder to see most of the group had gone to the dance floor, Spencer dancing with Wren, casting worried glances over at the pair every few minutes. Toby couldn't even force a smile; when Jenna was around it was like his face was stuck in a permanent frown.

"Jenna… please, can you just leave?" Toby begged.

She looked back at him, licking her lips. "But being here with you is so much more fun. I miss watching you beg." she whispered evilly.

Toby backed up like a wounded puppy, feeling pressure pushing at the back of his eyes as the memories surfaced.

"What do you think Spencer and your new buddies would say if I told them you forced yourself on me? Pretty sure they wouldn't be worshipping you the way they are now. I'm sure Caleb would back me up. After all, I seem to remember his stories about you coming to his aid like a strong, strapping man. Fighting guys is child's play compared to the fun you and I had."

Toby bit his lip, hating his emotions for getting the best of him. After tonight's stories and his defense of Spencer with that guy, he had a feeling they would all believe far too easily that Jenna was telling the truth. Even though he didn't know them well, he didn't want Spencer's friends thinking he was that kind of person, or Ezra who he was still just getting to know. Jenna looked like a delicate little flower and played the victim well.

* * *

Wren had excused himself to the bathroom and Spencer took the opportunity to talk to Caleb and Ezra who were talking in low voices at the bar, not taking their eyes off the pair who was obviously having a heated conversation.

"Is he okay?" Spencer asked them quietly when she reached them.

"He's a strong kid. He'll be fine." Caleb told her but didn't tear his eyes away from his friend across the room.

"Caleb, do you know the story behind them?" Spencer inquired, stepping closer even though there was no one nearby to eavesdrop.

He nodded desolately. "Unfortunately. Jenna's a manipulative bitch who's put Toby through hell. Toby would never hurt a fly, let alone lay a hand on a girl, and she used that to her advantage. She's in love with him despite him not returning the feelings in the slightest."

He sipped his beer and sighed, only willing to rehash the story because he knew Spencer and Ezra were Toby's closest friends out there and that the truth would come out sooner or later. It'd be easier if they heard it from him.

"Jenna forced Toby into a relationship with her. They had a legit one to begin with but when their parents announced they were getting married, Toby wanted out. She had changed in the past few weeks before then anyways, becoming more of the bitch we know her to be now. But Jenna didn't want things to end; she was having too much fun. When Toby suggested they stop, she became enraged. She set Toby up and convinced their parents that he tried to force himself on her." he said bitterly.

Ezra and Spencer stayed quiet, mouths agape.

"They were going to kick him out, cut him off, you name it, if he 'tried' it again. So Jenna kept this in mind as she continually forced Toby into doing things with her, threatening to tell them he had tried again or had been doing it for months if he said no. Their parents are completely Team Jenna, so Toby wouldn't have stood a chance. They don't see the obvious with her. She puts up a good front, but she's evil. Toby would come to work with black bruises, trying to cover them up and act like nothing was wrong. At first I thought it was his dad or something. But Jenna would hit him with whatever was in reach if he didn't succumb to her. He never fought back."

Spencer swallowed as her tears started falling.

"He eventually stood up to her enough that she backed off. I think he had something decent on her, since she cooled it. But even now she still does shit like this. She butts into his life just to remind him of the past so he won't move on. She was his only relationship _ever_; he hasn't even gone on a date since her as far as I know. As much as I hate to say it, I think the kid's mentality got twisted. I know he feels like he deserved it, but I think he feels like damaged goods too."

Spencer wiped at her face, hating the tears for escaping. The thought of sweet Toby going through all of that and still being so good and true… she couldn't understand how he was still such a beautiful person despite his past.

"That's sick." Ezra muttered, clearly upset, but holding himself together.

* * *

Toby, oblivious that his two best friends now knew his deepest secret, was still fighting with Jenna.

"Tell them if you want, but don't expect me to stand around and watch you destroy my life further. You're a fucking bitch, Jenna." he hissed, so angry now he didn't even care.

She bared her teeth at him like a wild animal and slapped him hard across the face, actually managing to throw his head to the side in her strength.

The sensation was too familiar and Toby felt the reflexive shame course through his veins, overcoming all of his previous anger.

"You forget who you're talking to." she snarled, pointing her finger at him as if she could command him with just the flick of her wrist.

He pulled himself together. "I haven't forgotten a thing. Do what you want, Jenna, you always have. Just don't expect me to stick around and watch. That would give you far too much satisfaction." he replied coldly, breaking away from her and leaving the club all together, not offering even a half-glance to his friends. He wasn't sure how long after Jenna planted her poison that they'd stick around.

Caleb, Ezra and Spencer weren't far behind him though.

"TOBY!" Spencer cried out, wanting nothing more than to rush into his arms but knowing by the devastated look on his face that that just wasn't plausible right now.

He couldn't force a smile, although he tried. "I can't talk right now. Go back inside, guys, I'll be fine."

"Toby, I told them. Let your friends be here for you." Caleb called seriously, and Toby looked even more hurt when he looked at his old friend.

"Caleb, how could you? I told you all that bullshit in confidence. If I wanted them to know, I would've told them myself!" he shouted, tears of betrayal and anger filling his eyes. "God, here I am worrying about Jenna's threats to tell everyone and you're there doing her job for her!"

Caleb looked hurt by that, but knew Toby was just upset right now. Frankly, he knew he had a point. It wasn't fair of Caleb to tell other people Toby's secrets especially without telling him. And if that was his past, he wouldn't want anyone to know either.

"I mean, god, I've known Ezra two weeks and Spencer about two months and you think I want to tell them the darkest part of my life? You're the _only _person who knows that story. I can't believe you'd betray me like that." Toby said, his voice losing its force and becoming more wounded with each word.

Caleb reached out to touch his arm, apologetic, but Toby recoiled from him.

"Don't. I thought I could trust you." he practically whimpered, looking more defeated than he had ever seen him.

"I-I'm sorry, Toby. I just wanted to help you."

Toby turned away. "You've done enough. All of you, go back inside. I'm done for the night." He started walking away in his usual long strides.

Spencer chased after him, not caring what he said. She grabbed his hand. "Toby…" she pleaded.

He turned, looking more heartbroken than she thought possible. "Spencer, please go back inside. Wren is waiting for you. Your boyfriend made a big effort in coming tonight. It wouldn't be fair to leave him hanging." he murmured calmly, pulling away.

She tightened her grip on his jacket, pulling at his wrist. "Toby, please. I don't care what's happened to you in the past. You're still the sweet, kind, funny, smart, gentle best friend that I adore. You're only more amazing to me now. I love you, Toby, please. Don't go."

He sighed, trying to hide the tear that had slipped out of his eye. "Spencer, I love you too. But I can't stand there and watch Jenna ruin my life out here like she did back in my old town. This was supposed to be a new beginning for me."

"She won't. Toby, we'll stand by you no matter what. No one in our group will think you're capable of something like that. If they have any doubts, we'll set them straight. Please, don't let her ruin everything. Come have fun with us."

He sighed. "I'll come say goodbye, but I need to go. I can't be around her."

Spencer nodded, squeezing his hands in hers now.

He suddenly reached up and cupped her face in his hands. He smiled genuinely. "What would I ever do without you, Miss Hastings?"

She smiled, shrugging her shoulders with a playful grin and he placed a delicate kiss to her forehead, pulling her into a warm hug.

Ezra simply patted him on the back as Toby walked by and they had a silent exchange, no words needing to be expressed. Ezra and Toby just had an instant bond that couldn't be explained. They may have only known each other for a few weeks, but it had been like they had known each other for years from the get-go.

Toby broke away from Spencer to talk to a sullen Caleb who looked like he had gotten kicked pretty hard.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you. You didn't deserve it. I just…" Toby trailed off, not sure how to word what he was feeling.

Caleb held up his fist to knock Toby's. "Hey, brothers fight…"

Toby smiled. "We're still brothers." He butted his knuckles against Caleb's, hooking an arm around his neck and noogying him against his protests and Spencer and Ezra laughed, glad all was forgiven.

The four headed back inside, flashing the stamps on the back of their hand so the bouncer would let them through.

Toby was surprised when he was bombarded by the girls in concern.

"Is everything okay?" Emily asked as she pulled back from the sudden hug she had thrown at him.

He nodded, smiling gratefully at the group, more touched than anything at the concern reflecting back. "I'm all good."

"Can we convince you to dance now?" Hanna asked hopefully.

Toby glanced around the club but couldn't see Jenna anywhere. Maybe she had left too?

"Yeah, sure, why not." Toby shrugged and the girls all squealed excitedly, Ezra patting him good-naturedly on the shoulder as he followed. "Caleb, you're not getting out of this one." he added, grabbing his friend by the arm and dragging him out into the throng of alcohol-fueled bodies.

Emily and Maya mostly danced around Toby, Ezra and Aria obviously sticking together and Hanna and Caleb seemed to be having a flirty dance-off. He rested his hands on her hips, letting her grind back into him and she was obviously trying to show off for him, throwing her hair back and sliding up and down his body, clawing at his neck for support.

Toby watched in admiration as the two continued their sex-with-clothes-on dirty dancing, the chemistry between the two nearly lighting the whole club on fire. He shared an amused look with Aria and Ezra who were in agreement that the two would be making-out by the end of the night.

Finally, Toby clued in to the fact that Spencer wasn't with them. He scanned the crowd to see her having a heated conversation with Wren, who was visibly upset about something. Toby read his lips to see him say 'I came out and you were gone' and realized their fighting was fueled by him. He immediately felt guilty, but it was nothing compared to the dread he felt when he heard an all too familiar voice.

"Looks like there's trouble in paradise. Maybe now's your chance, Toby." Jenna said wickedly and he stopped moving instantly and turned to look at her.

The rest of the group froze too, knowing that Toby left earlier purely because of this girl.

"Can I have this dance, Toby?" she asked innocently, although her tone didn't match the smirk on her face in the slightest.

"He's obviously not interested." Emily cut in harshly, the others surprised at her input. Emily was a very passive person. She didn't really do confrontations.

Jenna looked at Emily, her smirk growing into a full-fledged Cheshire Cat grin. "Thanks for your opinion, sweetie, but I know what Toby likes just fine." she said suggestively and Toby flushed.

"What do you want, Jenna? Spencer's not even listening." he said lowly as he guided her out of their group, his hand gripping her wrist.

"I want you to come home. Toby, I've been very patient while you've taken the time to 'find yourself' or whatever it is you've been doing. But enough's enough. You know you'll never be happy unless you're with me. Let's rekindle our love tonight at the apartment. I miss you."

He shook his head, disgusted at the memories of what her version of 'lovemaking' involved. He swore some of the hits she blew him scarred.

"Like I said, you can chain me to your bed and I'll still never touch you like that again." he growled.

"Oh, into bondage are you? Kinky. Never knew you had it in you." she teased, looking like the cat that got the cream. God she was awful.

"Look, this conversation is over. Go home, Jenna. Or better yet, get lost." he told her, moving away but she grasped his arm and dug her nails in deep. He winced, squeezing his eyes shut as images from those dark days passed through him once more.

"We're not done until I say so." Jenna hissed. She was borderline half-feline at this point.

"Actually, I think you're done now." Spencer's cold voice came and Toby was surprised to see her standing with her arms crossed a foot away from them.

"Oh, hooray, _Spencer Hastings_ here to swoop in and save the day…" Jenna drawled impatiently, giving a little fake laugh. "Trust me, honey, I'm not afraid of you."

Toby wrenched Jenna's hands off of him and stepped in front of Spencer. "Back off, Jenna."

"That's what I said to you, Toby." Jenna simpered, an evil glint in her eye. "But you never listened to me. Not even when I _begged_ you to get off of me."

Spencer's face distorted in fury and she stepped forward but Toby was blocking her for a reason.

"Cute, Spencer." Jenna laughed. "Your little barks are silent here though. You have no power. You remind me of a little terrier, always trying so hard to please-"

She stopped talking when Hanna stepped further in, no one holding her back.

"Her bark isn't worse than my bite." is all Hanna said before there was a resounding crack.

The entire group froze as they stared at Hanna's still raised hand and Jenna clutching her face, it beginning to redden from the almighty slap it had just received.

"Don't mess with my friends. That means that you stay _away_ from Toby. He doesn't want you and no one believes your bullshit. You can't be mommy's little girl out here, this is the real world, so fuck right off or you'll have me to answer to, bitch." Hanna told her aggressively before turning on her heel and leaving.

No one really knew what to do. Toby felt an urge to check on Jenna, who looked like she was going to cry, but Spencer was tugging on his arm. He followed dutifully, glancing back at his shocked step-sister who still hadn't moved an inch.

They quickly left the club, not wanting to be kicked out for the violent outburst, and once outside in the damp streets, Caleb let out a hoot of laughter.

"That was so fucking epic!" he shouted, laughing gleefully as the others joined in.

Toby wrapped an arm around Hanna's waist and gave her an affectionate side-hug in thanks and she smiled tenderly at him.

"No one messes with my friends." she said stoutly and he felt a glow of pride, glad she included him in that terminology.

"But seriously, you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that!" Caleb exclaimed, still overly enthusiastic and stealing Hanna away so he could praise her some more. She was blushing at the attention, but was obviously enjoying it.

Emily was holding Maya's hand but caught up with Toby and took his in her free one. He looked surprised but squeezed her hand back. She smiled brightly. "Looks like you've been officially initiated into the group. We all couldn't be happier to have you."

Toby smiled in return. "I'm happy to be had. Is that how the initiation works? Did you all get your biggest enemy slapped by somebody?" he teased, causing the couple beside him to laugh.

"Yeah, poor Em's mom…" Maya joked.

Emily shot her a look, but hid a smile. She had a point.

"Unsupportive?" Toby guessed gently.

Emily grimaced. "My dad's in the military and I'm an only child. Being gay doesn't exactly fit their vision of a perfect military family." she explained. "They've come around, but it wasn't easy getting here."

"I'm happy for you guys. It's easy to tell you're in love." he told them honestly.

They both smiled at him before sharing their own loving smile.

Toby looked around for Spencer, realizing she once again was MIA.

"She's _way_ back there with Wren. They're fighting again." Aria said, sounding bored, noticing Toby's searching eyes. She leaned further into Ezra, who had his arm around her waist.

"Is that normal?" Ezra asked, happy to have her nuzzling closer.

Hanna looked back from the front of their walking group, her arm linked with Caleb's. "Oh please, those guys fight every time we all hang out as a group. I don't know why Spencer tries so hard. He doesn't want to fit in with us. He just wants Spencer all to himself. He's so possessive sometimes."

"They'll work it out." Emily reassured Toby who looked concerned. "They always do."

"Yeah, only because they always have crazy hot make-up sex which is hard to pass up." Hanna interjected, then realized what she said. "Sorry, Toby."

He wasn't even going to think about Spencer and Wren in bed together, or Spencer in bed with anyone. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

Maya rolled her eyes. "Toby, it doesn't take a genius to know you're in love with Spencer. And I only just met you. It's okay, we'll keep your secret. It's only a matter of time before she smartens up."

Toby sighed. He didn't know why their group walk had turned into a chick flick. "Regardless of my feelings for her, nothing is going to happen between us… so all you hopeless romantics can put that idea to rest. I've accepted that we'll always just be friends so you should too." he told them quietly.

No one said anything, noticing how sad he looked but also that he was sure in his eyes.

"No matter what your relationship, we're glad Spencer has you." Emily told him sweetly.

They reached a crossroad. "Well, I guess this is where we part." Hanna said.

"Aria, the four of us should get a cab together." Emily suggested, since she, Maya, Aria and Ezra were all crossing the city.

"I'm sure Spencer will be going to Wren's. I'm this way." Hanna said, jerking her thumb to the left.

"I'll walk you. I'm only a couple blocks down." Caleb suggested quickly. "Toby, you'll be okay flying solo? Wait, what am I saying, of course you will."

Toby laughed. "More like _you'll_ be safe what with Hanna 'The Hitman' Marin with you." he teased.

Hanna came over and hugged him goodbye. "I better see you soon. So glad you came tonight."

Toby smiled brightly at her. "Well you are my best friend's roommate, so I'm sure that can be arranged. Thanks for slapping the hell out of Jenna."

Everyone laughed at that, enjoying the memory.

Aria hugged him next. "Don't be a stranger. We'll all get together again soon."

He nodded as he hugged Emily and Maya goodbye too.

"Definitely. Goodnight you guys." Toby said as he gave a final farewell.

The four cab-searchers followed Hanna and Caleb to a more main road to catch one. He glanced back to see Wren storming away and Spencer hugging her stomach, tears sliding down her face. She was walking slowly as if she didn't really have any plans to go anywhere.

Toby doubled back, Spencer looking up when she noticed his presence. She smiled through her tears. "Hey."

"Hey. Want me to walk you home?" he asked gently.

She nodded quickly, her composure breaking completely as she started full-fledged crying.

He pulled her close, letting her bury her face in his neck. In one swift motion, he lifted her into his arms bridal style. She snuggled closer, enjoying his warmth and the fact that she didn't have to walk in her heels any further.

"Toby, can I stay with you? I don't want to face Hanna and her questions." she whispered.

Toby sighed, knowing it was probably the worst idea ever, especially since he knew his feelings for her were only growing stronger. But he also knew that he couldn't leave her like this.

"Of course. Fair warning that Jenna might be home burning my things or something…" he muttered but she just nuzzled deeper into his neck.


	7. Chapter 7

From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much for your sweet reviews! You guys actually make me cry with your sweetness haha, but I'm the world's biggest sap so there ya go... ANYWAYS you're all incredible and I love you. I've never shown my writing until this site, and none of my family or friends have ever seen any of my writing, so it's been amazing having your guys' feedback.

I LOVE that you guys loved Jenna getting slapped hahaha it was one of my favorite moments from the show and writing Jenna has been so much fun. She's just so deliciously evil. I love it. I wanted to give her what was coming to her haha which you all seemed to agree with.

All you Wren-haters will enjoy this chapter I guess, but chapter nine is where the rest of you will join that wagon. As for next chapter, most of you will probablyyyy hate ME after it. But bare with me, I promise things will turn around! You guys are skyrocketing my inspiration all over the place so I can't decide where exactly I want to go with my story now haha now that I know some of what's working and what isn't.

What's important is that we're getting closer to Spoby and that even though the chapter ends, the night's not over yet ;) Italicized chunks of text are flashbacks, which hopefully was obvious enough without noting it here :)

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

She wasn't heavy, so carrying her all the way to his place really wasn't a big deal. He was a strong guy what with his manual labor work. He had been going to the fitness center at school to keep himself that way, since pouring coffee didn't exactly inspire muscle tone.

"Can I get you anything?" Toby asked her softly once she was inside his place and on her own two feet. He locked the door behind them, noting that Jenna's bedroom was thankfully still dark. He didn't know how she could've beaten him home since he left before her, but when they were all walking together as a group they were dawdling quite a bit so he hadn't been sure the place would be empty. He was certainly grateful it was though.

"Water would be great." she half-croaked, her throat sore from all of her crying.

"I'll meet you in my room." he promised, gently guiding her in that direction before heading to the kitchen himself to pour them both a tall glass of ice water. He had only had a few beers and he was pretty sure Spencer only had the one drink but he was not looking for either of them to end up with a hangover the next morning. Better safe than sorry.

Spencer accepted the glass graciously when he returned. He spotted her necklace in a heap on his night table and her shoes collapsed haphazardly by the closet. Although her dress looked beautiful on her, he knew she couldn't sleep in that.

Toby dug through his drawers for a lengthy t-shirt or something. Sighing in defeat, he grabbed the long sleeved shirt that was under his pillow with his pajama pants from the night before. He held them up to her, miming throwing her each one.

"Top or bottom?" he deadpanned.

Spencer's eyes darted from his face, to the pants, to the shirt and back to his face in a frantic triangle of gazes. His composure broke at her genuine bewilderment and he tossed her the shirt, far too entertained with her reaction.

"I'm just kidding. You can have bottom if you want, but I figure you'd prefer that."

She rolled her eyes at him and got off the bed. "I'm going to go change and get cleaned up."

He nodded, sipping at his own water. "Kay." he replied, changing into his blue plaid pajama pants when she was gone and throwing his day clothes into his overflowing hamper. He really needed to do some laundry. He grabbed a white wife beater from his dresser drawer and pulled it over his head, sitting on his bed to wait for Spencer to return.

Remembering their naps and the cravings he'd get when he woke up with her in his arms, he knew they wouldn't be sharing a bed tonight. He just… couldn't. He wouldn't take advantage of her when she was vulnerable and he was pretty sure she was still with Wren despite their fight. He wanted to just be there for her tonight, as her best friend, nothing more.

He ran his hands irritably through his hair. Why did he have to feel like this for her? Why couldn't things just be simple? When she was around he just forgot all rational thought. One of these days he was bound to do something stupid. Like earlier, when he practically proclaimed his love for her to defend her honor, on multiple occasions. If she was oblivious to his feelings, she must not be as smart as she made herself out to be, because he literally couldn't be more obvious about it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Spencer was washing her make-up off in the bathroom. She checked herself out in Toby's soft blue long sleeved shirt. It had a big anchor in the top left corner of the shirt and the hem hit about halfway down her thighs. She left her hair down as it was and held the cold wash cloth up against her swollen eyes, hoping she'd stop looking like she had been bawling, even though that's exactly what she had been doing.

She was really happy she was at Toby's. She knew Hanna would've hovered at home and if she had spilled her guts about the fight, Hanna would none-too-subtly suggest it was probably time to end things with Wren for good. And she didn't want to do that.

Spencer hated that her friends had only ever seen her and Wren fighting together. When they were alone, things were great. He was one of the only people who completely understood her strong drive to work hard for what she wanted. When Spencer was studying weeks in advance for midterms, Wren encouraged her. Most of her friends just told her she was being ridiculous or thought it was an endearing quality of hers. Maybe it was, but it was nice to have someone _understand_ why she did it. Plus Wren didn't always want to watch some stupid mindless drama; he, like her, liked to indulge in some intelligent television like a documentary on the history of light bulbs or something. Spencer was just someone who was passionate about learning in general and not many people shared that quality; but Wren did. And she loved him for it.

Plus Wren was sweet and shared a similar sort of wit. He knew how to make her laugh when she was upset and was always doing sweet gestures like bringing her flowers to get her to smile or congratulate her on something like a decent grade on a random essay. He was a good boyfriend, but her friends only ever saw him as the guy fighting with her tooth and nail every time they hung out.

She knew that was partly her fault; it was obvious that intertwining Wren with her friends wasn't working. Even when Aria and Hanna had boyfriends, Wren sort of stuck out like a sore thumb. He was always really polite and friendly, and the guys usually warmed up to him nicely, but it was obvious he felt out of place which is why they usually tended to fight afterwards. Spencer didn't know how to make things easier for him and he was usually picking at something she said or some moment she missed when she could have made him more comfortable or thrown him a bone.

They got through those fights though. She'd promise to be better next time and he'd promise to try harder and need her less.

Tonight's fight however had been different than their past ones. Really cold, hateful words had been said. She wasn't sure what was going to happen this time, but it didn't look to be anything good.

His words kept repeating in her head, like a reel, a sick vision of an out of control Merry-Go-Round flashing before her eyes at the chaos of the whole thing…

* * *

_Their first argument had been about after she returned from outside. Wren had grabbed Spencer's arm as she walked past; she hadn't even noticed him hovering at the bar._

"_Spencer, what the hell? Where were you?" he demanded._

"_Sorry, Toby got into a fight with his step-sister and left the club. I had to make sure he was okay." she told him honestly, resting a hand on his forearm._

"_And you couldn't have told me where you were going?" Wren asked patronizingly, clearly annoyed. "You know I don't know your friends well and this is a _night club_. I didn't know if someone had kidnapped you or something… put something in your drink and was off taking advantage of you… I came out and you were gone."_

_Spencer clued into the fact that he was worried about her, amongst his annoyance at her sudden abandonment. It was sort of sweet and she had to admit he had a point. She just was so concerned about Toby she had forgotten about anyone else. She hadn't told her friends where she was going either if they even noticed she was missing._

"_I'm sorry, Wren. He left out of here so fast I had to act in an instant. It was really spur-of-the-moment. I was only gone a couple minutes. I wouldn't have left you without telling you, you know I'm not that kind of girl. But Toby was really upset and I was concerned. He's my friend, Wren, and I care about him."_

_She detected a subtle eye roll by her boyfriend but she chose not to comment on it._

"_Well, he seems fine to me." Wren interjected with a pout as he nodded over to the guy in the middle of their dance group. The girls had all warmed up to him so quickly; Wren couldn't help but feel bitter about it. He'd been dating Spencer ten months and they had never worshipped him the way they did Toby._

_Spencer tried her best to speak patiently. "He is now, but I had to talk to him first. His relationship with his step-sister is complicated."_

"_Looks like he needs your rescuing again." Wren commented sarcastically as he saw Toby and the green-eyed wavy haired brunette talking again to the side._

_Although Wren had been bitterly joking, Spencer's eyes widened and she determinedly strode over when she saw Toby's broken expression._

_Wren rolled his eyes. His patience for this guy and his girlfriend was running extremely thin._

* * *

_Their next argument was after the whole Jenna ordeal. Hanna had slapped the girl clear across the face and they all rushed out of there. Spencer hadn't even offered him a glance as she laughed excitedly with her friends at the craziness that had gone on inside the club. Wren, frustrated and feeling woozy from how fast he had drank his scotch, held her back from the group._

_She looked at him with innocent eyes but he could tell by the set of her jaw that she was annoyed that he was ruining her fun._

"_Have you forgotten who your boyfriend is?" Wren asked irritably._

_Spencer rolled her eyes, her innocent look being replaced with one of annoyance. "Of course not, Wren. Look, Toby-"_

"_Yeah, yeah, he needs you. Why don't you go off with him then? He's obviously who you'd rather be with." he told her coldly._

_Spencer was surprised at his hostility. "Toby and I are just friends. _You're _my boyfriend. I'm sorry I've been paying so much attention to him the past twenty minutes-"_

"_The past twenty minutes? Spencer, you've been all over him all night! Even when I arrived, you guys were off on your own, acting like a couple. Don't stand here and lie to my face. You have feelings for him and spent half the night bragging to your friends about how great he is while I sat there like a moron. You sat next to me at that table, flirting heavily with him while I had to just sit idly by and enjoy the show. How do you think that makes me feel?"_

"_Wren… I-It wasn't like that…"_

"_Oh, it 'wasn't like that'? Tell me Spencer, when was the last time you and one of your girl friends got into a flirty wrestling match? You literally were running your hands all over him in front of everybody. I'm not an idiot, Spencer, I see the way you look at him and the way he looks at you."_

"_We've always been just friends. Nothing has ever happened." she promised, tears falling now. She knew if she didn't get control of this soon she was going to lose him completely. She had never seen him so angry. But she didn't know what to say. She couldn't lie when he so obviously saw the truth of her feelings for her best friend._

"_Yeah, well that's probably because Toby is actually more respectful of our relationship status than _you_ are. He didn't hang off of you the way you were all over him. When I talked to him, he seemed like a decent guy. But you two looked more like you were dating than you and I did. And that means something to me, Spencer."_

"_Wren, I'm sorry… I love you. Me and Toby have only ever been friends and that's all we'll ever be. You have to believe me."_

"_Well I don't. You guys are too touchy-feely to be just friends. You can lie to yourself all you want, but I'm sick of you lying to me. I gave up so much to be with you. Your sister was a real catch you know and doing really well for herself. My parents are disappointed in me. My friends don't understand why I want someone so young… and inexperienced." he added, her understanding perfectly what he was implying and felt like she was being punched in the stomach._

"_And you know…" he continued with a slur. "I'm starting to forget why too. I mean, if you're just going to leave me for another guy your age, why go through all these complications? Is it because your parents may not like me right now but you know they'll never accept you dating a carpenter?"_

_Spencer desperately wanted to correct him and shout 'architect' in his face, but she was crying too hard now to pull herself together and it wouldn't help anything anyways, just make it worse._

"_What are you saying, Wren? Are you breaking up with me because I'm suddenly too young for you? Age was never a problem between us before. There is nothing going on between me and Toby. We're just friends!" she half-shouted through her tears, begging for him to understand the words she had been repeating like a mantra since their fight started. She didn't want to end things like this._

"_Fine. Then look me in the eye and tell me you have no feelings for him." Wren demanded furiously, hands on her shoulders to force her to look at him._

_She looked down in shame._

"_That's what I thought. Fuck you, Spencer. I'm done with your immature lies. Grow up already." he growled, pulling away from her seeking hands and casting one last disgusted look back at her before storming across the street to put as much space between them as possible._

"_Wren!" she yelled, wishing he'd just turn around and stop to actually listen to her._

_But he disappeared into the night, stumbling slightly, too pissed off and hurt to offer her the smallest of glances._

_Spencer stood, alone, tears pouring down her face, wrapping her arms around herself to hold her fragile body together._

_Toby had come to her rescue moments later, and his sweet simple words had set her off. She started sobbing on the spot, not caring if random passer-byers were staring at her; she could barely catch her breath. She had been incredibly grateful to feel his loving arms lift her up and the promise to take care of her for the rest of the night. She had merely snuggled closer to his warmth, not wanting to think about the angry man who had just left her probably forever._

* * *

Spencer twisted the bathroom doorknob, planning on rejoining Toby, before thinking twice. She left the door ajar as she pulled out her phone from her clutch and dialed Wren's number. It kept ringing until it hit voicemail. It was the fourth time she had tried him since she had gotten to Toby's. When the beep hit, she sighed into the phone.

"Wren, it's me again. I get that you don't want to talk but can you please text me to let me know you're alright? You took off into the dark night, drunk and angry. I'm worried. I just need to know you're safe. Please." Her tears fell again and she leaned against the wall. "I'm sorry about everything. I just really want to figure out where we're going to go from here. I mean, obviously I keep screwing things up. But I love you. I miss you already. I just… give me a chance to explain. I'll be a hundred percent honest with you if you just give me a chance. Please Wren…"

The message clicked, signaling her time was up, and she exited the call. She placed her face in her hands, groaning.

Pulling herself together, she headed back out into the apartment, finding Toby in his room looking troubled.

Immediately concerned, she sat next to him. "Toby, what's the matter?"

He scratched the back of his neck. "It's nothing." he fibbed, forcing a smile. "Are you hungry? I'm thinking of making a grilled cheese sandwich or something…"

Spencer, momentarily distracted by her rumbling stomach, clasped her hands together excitedly. "That sounds so amazing right now it's not even funny."

Toby laughed and headed out to start prepping the food. He turned the knob to warm up the burner and dug the cheese slices out of the fridge.

Spencer had joined him and was buttering the bread in preparation, smiling over at him. She was happy she was here. Toby was very relaxed and good company.

They formulated the sandwiches and threw them on the frying pan. Spencer leaned against the counter, twirling a strand of hair around her finger absent-mindedly as she checked her phone for the millionth time.

"Can't get a hold of Wren?" Toby asked sympathetically.

She sighed and shook her head, tracing the grooves in the kitchen tiles with her big toe. "No. I just wish he would let me know he was all right. He stormed off drunk and angry. I just want to know he's safe; he doesn't have to talk to me. I'm sure he is… but I worry."

Toby nodded understandingly. "Do you want to talk about what happened? It's okay if you don't, I'm just offering the option." he added, flipping the sandwiches. They were the perfect golden brown. He tried to hide his little smile of pride at this fact.

Spencer ran her hand through her hair. "It was just… stupid. It always is when we go out with friends, _my_ friends especially. It's not because of them, but I always screw up somehow and he gets frustrated with me… it's only worse when he's drinking…" she trailed off, hand over her face now in stress.

"Hey." Toby murmured, reaching out and squeezing her hand. "You guys will work it out. You always have in the past."

She nodded but couldn't bring herself to smile. "Toby… do you think you and I… are _too _close?" she asked.

He kept his eyes focused on the frying pan but could feel the blush crawling up his neck. He considered his reply but couldn't fight the truth. He sighed. "I didn't really, until tonight. There's stuff I'd normally do like have my arm around you or hold your hand that I found myself avoiding and feeling guilty over. I guess it didn't hit until I saw Wren in the flesh that my behavior around you was pushing some boundaries. It doesn't feel wrong when we're alone… but at that club…"

Spencer nodded, leaning her hip into the counter now so she could face him. "I know exactly what you mean. I know we're just friends… but it's how it looks to other people that concerns me."

Toby placed their sandwiches on plates. "I take it Wren noticed."

She graciously accepted the proffered food. "Yeah. He did." she said quietly.

Toby closed his eyes in defeat, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm so sorry, Spencer. I hope I didn't permanently screw things up between you guys."

They both settled down at the table Spencer had shown off earlier.

She shook her head, half-smiling at him. "It's not your fault. He actually found you to be very respectable and… I guess in control? He was bothered by how much attention _I_ paid _you_… which if you remember, really wasn't much at all once Wren arrived. He's just really sensitive and insecure around my friends. I think seeing how my friends warmed up to you in only their second encounter with you makes him feel kind of down… Add drinking to the mix, and I should've known it would end up like this."

They both chewed thoughtfully for a moment, thinking back through the night.

"I probably shouldn't have stormed out of the club like that. I know Wren wasn't pleased that you left to chase after me. I just… had to get away from her. From everything."

Spencer shook her head. "I'd do that again in a heartbeat, Toby. I needed to make sure you were okay. If Wren can't handle me caring about my friends, then he can consider himself single because I won't put up with that for a minute. He was just mad that I abandoned him without telling him where I was going. But it was a spur of the moment thing, which I explained. He got over it; he just was worried something happened to me and didn't fancy hanging out with my friends alone."

Toby nodded but still looked bothered. She reached across the table to squeeze his hand.

"Toby, don't be upset. I don't blame you. Hell, even Wren doesn't blame you. He's pissed at me. He's always pissed at me. He's been so distant the last few weeks it was just a matter of time."

He looked up at that in surprise. She shrugged.

"Maybe it's not about you, Spence. Maybe it's something happening to him personally. He mentioned to me he had a rough day today; maybe things at the hospital aren't going as well as he passes them off to be. Maybe he's feeling a lot of pressure at work or it might just be because of the crazy hours he pulls. It can't be easy on his body working all hours of the day and night at the drop of a hat. Or it could be financial problems that he doesn't want to burden you with, or family trouble, or any number of things that aren't your fault. I know you have this habit of blaming yourself for everything, but just because he takes it out on you doesn't mean that's the full story."

Spencer considered this, wiping her mouth gracefully with a napkin as she finished eating. "First of all, I don't know how, but that was the best grilled cheese I've ever eaten in my life."

Toby smirked at that. "It's probably because of the alcohol in your system."

She rolled her eyes but ignored his comment. "Secondly, maybe you're right. God, I forget how good you are to talk to. You're always so… rational." she said amusedly. "I can never see the things you do until you say them and then I'm like 'oh'."

He smiled. "It's easier to be rational when it's not affecting you as personally." he explained.

She nodded. "Are you sleepy? I'm sort of wired. Want to play Scrabble?" she said, all very quickly.

Toby laughed. Hyper Spencer was something he hadn't really experienced much of yet. "Sure, why not?"

"Should we play it at the table?" Spencer asked as Toby dug it out of the top of the linen closet. There were only so many places of storage in the apartment.

He shook his head. "I'd rather be more comfortable. Give me a second."

Toby handed her the game and moved the cushions off the couch, revealing a pull-out bed. The sheets were already on there.

Spencer climbed on the bed next to him when it was all set and they started the game.

Despite her burst of energy, it quickly ran out. Their game started going rather poorly after about thirty minutes, which really wasn't very long in Scrabble time. It didn't help that they only started with a five letter word and were forced to play the majority of the game in one corner of the board.

As Toby contemplated his letters, Spencer hugged one of the pillows to her body and closed her eyes. "Is this my bed?" Spencer asked as she sighed contently.

He shook his head, although she couldn't see him, and tried not to smile. He could get used to the sight of her in his t-shirt. "You ready for bed?"

She nodded and didn't look like she was going anywhere. Toby packed up the game and put it away. He moved to her side of the bed and lifted her gently into his arms. She immediately snuggled into him like she had earlier, humming sleepily.

He carried her to his bedroom, placing her delicately on the bed and pulling the blankets over her small frame. He brushed her hair off her forehead and turned to head towards the door.

Spencer reached out and grabbed his wrist. "Where are you going? You are coming back, right?" she asked, her eyes bright and child-like.

Toby sighed and crouched down so he was eye-level with her. He caressed her face tenderly. "Spence, I don't think it's a good idea tonight. You were right earlier… we've gotten too comfortable with each other. We should probably steer away from that stuff even in our private time. I think tonight of all nights, with everything that's going on with Wren, it would be a bad idea to share a bed. I'm going to sleep on the pull-out bed. I want you to have mine."

"Toby, I should sleep out there, this is _your_ bed-" she began to protest but he shook his head.

"You're the guest, you're getting my bed." he told her in a final tone so she wouldn't argue. "Sleep well, Spence. I'm just in the living room if you need me." he added, kissing her forehead and cursing himself for taking all of five seconds to break his own rule from moments before. He had to stop acting like her boyfriend not just in public but in their alone time too. That's when it was most dangerous.

"Okay. Night Toby." she murmured and he wasn't sure what he saw in her eyes. It was disappointment and maybe something more. He swore her eyes were wet. She had rolled over before he could figure it out.

Feeling like the world's biggest asshole, Toby flopped down on the bed in the living room and groaned quietly to himself. No matter how hard he tried, this night was going how he hoped it would.


	8. Chapter 8

You guys and your reviews are amazing! I have no words to describe how grateful I am for the feedback I've gotten on this story, and I hope it continues and you guys stick around until the end :)

PLEASE BARE WITH ME! I guess the most important thing to remember this chapter... Villains are often made to be one-sided, but that's never the case. There's a human being in all of us, good and bad, and sometimes we do things we aren't proud of... or things that we don't even realize are as bad until we take a step back. I've always found Jenna and Toby's relationship to be really interesting, because even after all that she's done, and his obvious dislike of her, they're still civil to each other in their private time. In 2x23 when Toby comes back to town, its obvious its not his parents forcing him into helping her and although Toby's pretending not to love Spencer, he apparently confided in Jenna about the whole Wren/Spencer issue. They were once on good terms, and by Toby's explanation to Emily in the mid-season finale of season one, they started out in a consensual relationship. SO yeah. I'm rambling. But Jenna's not pure evil, is my main point haha. BUT also keep in mind that Jenna's a good actress and Toby is far too trusting... ;)

TRY not to hate me too much for what goes down in this chapter...

I do accept flames though, so feel free to be as brutal as you want :)

Next chapter will have Wren-haters and Spoby-lovers excited ;)

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

Spencer stared at Toby's bedroom ceiling, tossing and turning. She had been so sleepy and ready to drift off when she was with him in the living room… but as soon as he mentioned them separating her body was on full alert.

She knew Wren had a point earlier, that they had gotten too intertwined in each other's lives, but she didn't want her and Toby to change their relationship. The reason she felt so close to him was because of the way they were with each other; how comfortable they could be around each other.

With Wren, she always made sure her hair and make-up was touched up and her outfit was cute before she invited him over or went to his place. Even when they had sleepovers, she'd slip out of bed while he was asleep to try to make herself more presentable. She knew he loved her, but with Wren being a few years older and such a catch she still felt like she had to remind him why he chose her, especially over Melissa who had almost all of the same credentials as her. Except Spencer was human, and Melissa was questionable.

But with Toby, Spencer could show up in sweats and an over-sized sweater, with her hair in a messy bun, and he didn't treat her any differently. It probably stemmed from the fact that they weren't dating… but Spencer knew her feelings for him weren't strictly platonic. She wished she could feel that secure around Wren, but she didn't. In fact, she had never been that way with a guy or anyone really. Even her best friends, who were girls, she didn't feel comfortable looking like a slob unless they were too. She didn't want to be cheesy about it, but Toby made her feel beautiful without trying… like it was just a part of her like her hair color was brown. Isn't that the way it was supposed to be?

She got a text from Wren right then.

_I'm sorry I overreacted. I love you. We need to talk. Tomorrow? xx_

Spencer sighed. She felt such a rush of feelings: relief, gratitude, love and a small bit of frustration. It took him _hours_ to text her back. She had spent the entire time wondering if he was lying dead in a ditch somewhere.

_I'm so glad you're okay. I love you too. We should definitely talk, I'll call you tomorrow. xo_

* * *

Meanwhile, Toby was doing similar tossing and turning on the bed in the living room. The bed itself wasn't uncomfortable, but he just couldn't shut his brain off. Had he messed up things between him and Spencer? Would she be weird around him now? She could probably see right through his act and realized that he was only separating them because he couldn't control his feelings for her. Was that such a bad thing? Or would she think he was separating them because he thought _she_ had feelings for _him_, and the thought weirded him out?

Toby groaned in frustration, his face in his hands. There was no winning here. Either Spencer thought he couldn't control himself around her like some sort of hormonal freak or she thought he was politely encouraging her to understand he didn't have feelings like that for her.

But if Spencer thought he had feelings for her and was still sticking around, that was a good sign, right? Maybe it wouldn't encourage her to develop feelings for him, but at least they could still be friends.

Toby sat up, moving to sit on the edge of the bed, hands gripping his hair in frustration. He couldn't sleep. Not like this.

He had no idea what to do. He hated that there was a small selfish part of him deep down that was happy that Wren was being such a class A asshole. But he knew even if Spencer and Wren broke up, there was no guarantee she would come just rushing into his arms. There were moments where he questioned if her feelings for him were more than friendly, but she had never made a move that confirmed without a doubt that she felt more than platonically for him. He wouldn't risk their friendship exploring it; she was too important to him now.

Plus even if she and her boyfriend broke up, she'd need time before she jumped into another relationship. He knew the pair had been together for ten months now and it would take her a while to get over that. It was obvious that Spencer loved Wren and Toby wasn't going to be so selfish as to put his needs above hers.

A flicker of movement caught his eye and he swiveled his torso to see the girl in question standing with typical poise in his dark bedroom doorway. The moonlight flowing through the window was making her ivory skin more luminescent than ever. He hadn't taken a good look at her before, but he had to admit she looked absolutely breathtaking in just his long-sleeved shirt.

"Spencer?" he called out in a whisper, questioning, wondering why she was hesitating there.

She inhaled, gathering some sort of courage it seemed since she shook her head at his words and ghosted across the room before he could think. Spencer placed her hand on his chest and pushed gently so he was leaning back over the arm of the couch.

Nervous butterflies filled his stomach as she licked her lips, pausing centimeters from his face. He had carried out a full breath when she finally pushed forward the extra bit to kiss him soundly on the mouth.

His eyelids fell shut in happy bliss as her lips met his softly. The innocent first kiss took him by surprise but his lips responded of their own accord. His hands followed their example, reaching up to cradle her face and pull her mouth back to his before she could think he was rejecting her, as if he ever would. Their kisses started out as tender and sweet but gradually picked up speed and fire, his insides burning as the reality began to sink in.

"Spencer… I'm not sure if this is such a good idea…" he confessed as her lips trailed butterfly kisses down his neck and into the crook of his shoulder.

"Shh, Toby. I've waited a long time for this." she murmured, sucking on his collarbone now.

That pushed him over the edge. She had found his weak spot; he was powerless to her advances now. She seemed to realize this since her tongue darted out to lap at the sensitive skin.

Unable to wait patiently, he guided her mouth back to his, kissing her much more hungrily which she quickly reciprocated with just as much passion. Spencer shuffled closer so she was more comfortably straddling his lap, pressing her body even closer to his. Her body was so warm and delicate above him; he wanted to explore every hidden part of her. For now, Toby's hand was lost in her dark tresses, the other gripping the soft material of her shirt on her lower back. _His _shirt. The familiar feel of the material and the reminder that it was his only made the moment more exciting.

Her tongue ran along his bottom lip and he granted entrance, gladly opening his mouth to hers as his hands climbed under her the pale blue material covering her lithe body. Reaching the top of her shoulders and taking inventory of her smooth back, he came to the conclusion that she was not in fact wearing a bra, which only made the decision to control himself more difficult. He wanted to circle his hands round to the front and touch the forbidden area.

"Do it. It's okay; I want you to." Spencer whispered against his ear, giggling a little, apparently reading his hazy lust-filled mind.

He was out of breath already from their steamy make-out session but now he felt as if his heart was going to beat out of his chest. Toby pulled back to look her in the eyes and double check that she really wanted to do this. The more lenience she gave, the more out of control their situation would become, and he wanted to be sure she knew what she was getting into.

However, a key turning in the lock grabbed his attention.

Toby startled awake, panting hard. The sheets were haphazard and mere inches from being torn off the bed completely. He looked around frantically and found he was completely alone. His eyes immediately jumped to his closed bedroom door, where Spencer was no doubt sleeping soundly.

A dream. It had all been a _dream_.

He put his head in his hands, feeling ashamed of his subconscious, when the front door finally opened. He looked up in surprise.

Well, the key part was apparently real. Of all the things in the dream to be real, of course _that_ part would be…

It was made even better by it being Jenna walking through the door.

* * *

She slipped in and jumped when she saw him sitting up on the pull-out bed.

"Toby? What-what are you doing out here?" she asked in surprise.

She didn't expect he would've headed back to the apartment. She figured he'd take refuge up with one of his new BFFs. She had taken her sweet time coming home partly in case he had to stop by to grab his stuff before crashing at Caleb's or wherever. The last thing she expected would be him staying at the apartment in the open space living room. If he came home at all, she figured he'd be locked in his room, as far from her as possible.

Toby sighed. "Spencer needed a place to crash. I offered her my bed and took this one."

Jenna glanced at the closed bedroom door, nodding. _Spencer_. Of course. She almost would've preferred the bitch-slapping blonde.

What the two step-siblings were unaware of, however, was that seconds later Spencer opened Toby's bedroom door to come talk to him, stopping only when she saw the scene before her. She peeked through the small crack in the door, curious and nervous for what was going to happen.

Toby stood. "Are you all right? Your cheek is still pretty pink." he said gently, gesturing to the mark on her face.

Jenna quickly raised a hand to cover it, lowering her eyes and hurrying out of her jacket and shoes so she could bolt. "No need to sound like you care, Toby. I know you would've done it yourself if you could have. That mark on your face is still pretty pink too and that was _my_ handy work."

He grimaced and snatched her arm before she could rush into her room. There were tears in her eyes. As much as Toby disliked the woman before him, he also knew there was more than one side to her. "Jenna… I do care. You make me angrier than anyone else in the world but I don't stew at night and plot ways to make you miserable. I know you're not just a bitch; you just put that act up as a guard so you won't get hurt."

Jenna stood there limply. Toby pulled her wrist so she'd sit next to him. She looked up at him finally. "Toby… I'm sorry about the way I acted at the club. It wasn't fair of me."

"I don't know what your fascination with ruining my life out here is." he replied much more coldly than he had been in the last few minutes. "I don't know why you try so hard to hurt me all of the time…"

Her eyes were on the floor as her tears fell. "It's not like that. I-I don't mean to hurt you; I mean I do… but I'm just jealous. I miss the days where I had you all to myself. Where you just had me."

Toby shifted on the bed uncomfortably, unconsciously putting a few more inches between them. "Jenna, those days were a dark cloud on both of our lives."

She nodded. "I know. I'm not proud of how I treated you. I… I'm not proud about how I handled things tonight or since we moved here. I'm sorry, Toby."

He believed she was being genuine, but also that he couldn't ever really trust her. He had given her the benefit of the doubt before and she took advantage of him. She was a good actor. But he truly felt that she regretted what she had done to him; it was just the way she kept talking to him lately that made him think that maybe he had been wrong about that too.

Jenna continued. "When I saw the way you were with them… they were all just practically bowing to you. Spencer was hanging off your arm like a high class escort and you just seemed to fit in so naturally… I know you and I could never have that. We'd always be considered freaks." She looked up at him sadly, reaching out a hand to his but he shuffled even further away on reflex, a solid foot and a half between them now. She sighed. "I still love you, Toby. So much. You're so forgiving and kind and decent to the bone. You've always been that thing that I'll never deserve and it drove me a little crazy that you're so close yet so far away. I thought that I could change the odds… but I only made things worse. I think… I think things are going to have to change. I can't keep acting like I'm okay when I'm not."

Toby reached for her hand and squeezed as she started crying.

"Jenna… you don't have to put on your act around me. Face it… I've seen you at your worst. Things between us have always been complicated but if I can get past the way you treated me, you can get passed whatever it is you're feeling. I'm willing to try if you are. _And_ if you stay out of my business from now on, especially my relationship with Spencer." he added for good measure.

Jenna laughed a little and it was the most genuine sound he had heard from her in a long time. "All I can do is try, right? If things don't get better, we'll have to figure something else out. I'm willing to try, but my condition is that your friends don't get to slap the hell out of me if I do."

Toby chuckled despite himself. "I am sorry about that. I had no idea Hanna was going to do that."

"You have no idea how much people love you instantly, Toby. You're one in a million and even strangers can see it in you. Of course she would jump to your aid… who wouldn't? You're impossible not to love." she added wistfully. She stood and wiped her face to rid it of any leftover tears.

Toby forced a half-smile at her. "Are you going to be okay?"

Jenna closed her eyes and exhaled. "You've seriously got to stop being so sweet, Toby. Good night."

"Good night." he replied quietly, rolling back onto his bed and getting comfortable. Although he dreaded his initial confrontation with Jenna, he had to admit he felt more able to sleep now that he had gotten through it. It had gone a lot better than expected and frankly he felt as though there was a shift in their relationship. That maybe she really meant it when she said she wanted to change.

Toby settled into the blankets but was too warm from the overly humid apartment and the aftermaths of his dream so he stripped off his wife beater and tossed it next to the bed. It was October now but their apartment was oddly warm. Even so, Toby preferred to sleep shirtless. He liked the feel of the sheets against his bare skin. In the summer he would sleep in just boxers or naked, but ever since Jenna started living with him he always covered himself up more even when he had a door lock. He didn't like locking his door at night though in case there was a fire or something.

* * *

Spencer was still creeping from his bedroom doorway and was grateful she hadn't been spotted yet. Right now her jaw was practically on the floor as she stared at Toby's newly exposed torso. It was sculpted like a Greek _god_. She knew he was well toned as the exposure of his tattoo eluded to that much but she had no idea it was the most phenomenal body she had ever seen.

Toby was lying on his back, his head turned to the side and his abs on full exposure straight up towards the ceiling. Spencer wasn't the type to gawk or gush over a man's body, but wow. She couldn't stop staring.

After a few minutes, she got a hold of herself and tiptoed out. Toby's steady breathing signaled that he was already asleep.

She climbed onto the bed tentatively and, in as little movement as possible, tried to get comfortable lying next to him. She turned on her side away from him and bent her legs in an almost fetal position, the sound of his breathing calming her body instantly.

Spencer felt herself drifting off to sleep immediately.

* * *

When Toby woke in the morning, there was an arm wrapped around his waist, trapped by his own arm. He could feel a delicate body pressed against him, her soft breath blowing against his neck. As last night began to come back to him, he realized it must be Spencer.

He relaxed, wondering if he really should move. There was a reason they originally were sleeping separately but it was hard for him to give up being this close to her. It was obvious that she came to sleep out here for a reason. The irony of the dream he had mirroring that action flashed in his mind, but he beat it down.

Spencer began to wake only moments after him and snuggled closer in sleepiness at first before remembering her predicament. Toby had wanted to put some space between them and she flat out ignored him and joined him after he fell asleep. She didn't mean to be so sneaky about it; she was just too weak to stay away.

Noticing her arm that was wrapped around him, she slowly began pulling it out so as not to disturb him. She sighed in relief when he didn't move after she had it back.

Until, well, he rolled over to look at her with his eyebrow raised, looking entertained by her sad attempt at stealth.

She flushed. "Sorry." she muttered, embarrassed by her body's reflex tendencies. No matter what she did, if they fell asleep together, she'd be tangled up in him when they awoke somehow.

Toby shook his head dismissively and reached out a hand to fix a strand of her hair. "What are you doing out here, Spence? Did something happen?" he asked in concern.

She bit her lip and looked down at the blankets. "No… well, Wren texted me last night."

Toby exhaled as he settled more comfortably. "That's good then, at least you know he's safe." he said encouragingly, not going to ask on the content of the message since it was really none of his business even if he was burning to know.

She nodded. "Yeah. It took him hours to let me know, but I could finally sleep afterwards. He wants to talk today."

Toby nodded understandingly. "That's probably a good idea."

Spencer shuffled closer. "I'm sorry I came out here. I just… I was lonely." she mumbled, blushing, clearly embarrassed by her weakness of sleeping alone and staying away from him.

He smiled. "Don't worry about it. How are you doing?"

She chuckled and threw her hands up spastically and he understood it to mean who-the-hell-knows.

"Maybe you'll feel better after I make you some breakfast." Toby said supportively, smiling slightly.

Spencer immediately sat up. "OH no. You made me food last night and the most insane breakfast the week before. No way are you cooking for me. _I'm_ cooking for _you_ this time." she said and threw herself off the bed and bounded towards the kitchen before he could protest.

Toby, laughing now, chased after her. "Spencer… you're the guest. It's like… my civil duty."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I can't believe you just said 'duty'." she teased, giggling into her hand immaturely.

He rolled his eyes. "And I can't believe you just _laughed_ at the word 'duty'. How old are you?!"

"Well I won't need dentures as soon as _you_, but I'm still eighteen years young." she told him with a wink, grinning. She loved their playful banter back and forth. "Regardless, I am old enough to make you some breakfast. I'm thinking waffles, you game?"

Toby sighed, knowing Spencer was incredibly stubborn and now that she had this in her head there was no convincing her out of it. "Fine. I guess I'll… set the table." he said unsurely.

Spencer hid her smile from him. He obviously wasn't used to being spoiled. He didn't know what to do with himself. "That would be very helpful, thank you." she replied simply, setting to work on the batter.

Toby pulled out all of the necessary things to enjoy a waffle breakfast and placed them coordinately on the table.

Both he and Spencer looked over in surprise when they heard a door open.

Jenna was coming out of her room, fully dressed with her school stuff in tow. Toby crossed the room and raised his eyebrows at her amusedly.

"You do know it's Sunday, right?" he teased.

Jenna sent him a look. "I know how to read a calendar, Toby." she replied somewhat amusedly.

He crossed his arms. "So what's with this?" he asked, gesturing to her collection of art supplies.

"I need to go to the studio and work on some stuff." she explained, continuing on to the door.

He followed, knowing immediately there was a lot more to it. Something was up with her.

"Jenna." he said quietly. "What's going on? You said yourself your midterms were over. What could you possibly need to work on already?"

She forced a smile at him. "It's not for school, it's just for me. I figured I'd be better off sculpting and painting than playing melancholy flute music in my room all day. I need to keep my hands busy."

He touched her arm. "What happened?" he asked firmly.

She sighed and tears started gathering in her eyes which she forced back. She glanced over but Spencer was busying herself with cooking, attempting to ignore what was happening by the front door. "Noel broke up with me. He didn't even have the decency to say it to my face; he called me last night and just said it was over. So I went out to forget about him and his stupid self and then that whole mess with you happened…" she trailed off. "Look, it's just been a rough twenty-four hours. I shouldn't even be surprised he broke up with me; he got what he wanted." she said pointedly, her tone obviously frustrated to mask the hurt.

"I'm sorry, Jenna." Toby said honestly.

"Yeah, well, I deserve it, right?" she said breezily.

"Do you want some breakfast first?" he asked, changing the subject since she was halfway out of the door.

She smiled. "I appreciate the offer but I'll pass. You guys enjoy yourselves though." she said, trying to force the sincerity into her voice. It hurt to see the pair together. British doctor boyfriend or not, Jenna knew full well the two of them would be together soon.

"Alright. Well, try to be home for dinner. I'm cooking." he told her sweetly as she left.

She shot him a smile before closing the door behind her.

Toby made his way back over to the kitchen. He immediately could tell something was bothering Spencer. Her posture was stiff and she was reflexively turning away from him while she worked the griddle.

"What's wrong?" he asked curiously.

She sighed, hating how long each waffle took to cook properly. She couldn't look busy when she was merely standing there holding the top closed. "I know it's none of my business, but I don't understand you and Jenna. After hearing everything she has done to you, I have no idea how you can still be so nice to her. She's hurt you so many times." she explained, shaking her head in disbelief.

Toby understood where she was coming from, and frankly, he wondered sometimes how he managed to look past all of that crap in their history. But he also knew that he preferred it that way. He didn't want to hold onto anger. It wouldn't make the past go away. "She's still a person, Spence, and someone I used to care about very much. I've seen both sides to her and I think there's good and bad in all of us. She's been through a lot-"

"Yeah, but so have you, and that's completely _her_ fault." Spencer snapped, not meaning to flare up at him but angry about what she learned of last night. It wasn't fair.

Toby put a hand on her arm. "Spencer." he began patiently. "I know you're upset. But it's not just me that has to live with what went down between us. She's paying for it every day. All she wants is to be with me and she knows now that I'll never let her near me like that again. She struggles with relationships and her life isn't sunshine and rainbows. We all have our issues. Me and Jenna talked last night though and she's trying to be better so I'm trying too."

"You were already too nice to her." Spencer muttered under her breath. "Breakfast is served." she added half-heartedly as she dished them out.

Toby could tell she was still not convinced and sighed, placing their plates down and grabbing her shoulders so she would look at him.

"Spencer, don't worry about Jenna. We will never be best friends, but we are going to _try_ to be civil towards each other. She's apologized for the past and that's really all that can be done. Nothing now will change what happened then. I really would rather just forget about it." he told her. "I'm sorry Caleb burdened you with all of that drama. I didn't plan on telling you."

Spencer looked hurt. "Don't you trust me?"

He half-laughed. "Of course I do. But I knew you'd feel like you have to fix it. I'm fine now. I've learned how to stand up for myself. Sometimes certain memories still get in the way but I'm learning to get past them. Part of doing that is forgiving Jenna. I'd really like if you could try to support me on that." he told her honestly.

She looked down in shame. "I'm sorry. I just… I'm not as forgiving as you."

"Well I've had a lot more time to process it. Come on, let's eat. It looks delicious." he added, leading her to the table.

Spencer sat down across from him, wondering how on earth the man before her managed to be so incredible.

* * *

After breakfast, Spencer figured she should get moving and head out. She got changed back into her dress and reluctantly handed Toby his shirt back. It smelled so much like him since he had slept in it the night before she had worn it, but she knew it wasn't fair of her to take it. She couldn't even pretend like she forgot she had it on since she didn't have any pants with her and didn't want to ride on his bike back to her apartment in just a t-shirt.

"I look ridiculous." Spencer huffed as she looked at her messy bun and fancy dress combo. She had no make-up on and greasy, haphazard hair in an up-do while being donned in a pretty dress and high heels. It was such an imbalance. If her mother could see her right now…

Toby smirked over at her and pelted her with a random pair of socks as he folded his clean laundry. "Don't be silly, you look beautiful. You always do."

She rolled her eyes at him but hid a smile. He wasn't even concentrating on her when he said it, as if it was just an absent-minded thought. He was far too sweet.

"I'm starting to think you're straight out of a Disney movie." Spencer retorted, trying to keep up her nonchalant attitude and act like her insides weren't glowing with pride at his sweet words.

Toby laughed and grabbed his keys when he noticed she was all set to go. "Your chariot awaits, my princess."

Spencer skipped ahead of him out of the front door, giggling, and they took his motorcycle to her place.

She was excited to shower at her apartment. She didn't like that Toby had to see her so greasy, but he seemed to sincerely not mind, and she adored him for it. She just really didn't fancy getting clean and then changing into clothes from the night before.

"Good luck today, Spence." Toby told her sweetly after she dismounted.

She smiled lovingly at him. "Thanks, Toby. I'll let you know how it goes." she grimaced, showcasing her crossed fingers for effect.

He chuckled. "You don't need luck. You're a Hastings." he reminded her with a wink, before putting down the shield on his helmet and jetting off down the road.

Spencer felt a little tug at her heart at watching him leave, knowing that she was extremely blessed that he was in her life. Now that she had him, she couldn't imagine living without him. She knew that Wren wasn't happy with Toby being in her life, but she knew she wouldn't give him up without the fight of her life.

And that's exactly what she was going to get.


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you all for the reviews, you're all rockstars :) !

The italicized portion is obviously another flashback :) Also, apologies for how ridiculously cheesy I can be.

This chapter is the reason why I did what I did last chapter, with making you guys sympathize with Jenna. I had this first scene in my head and knew I had to make it work. If Jenna was as much of a bitch as she was at the club, it would just be too heartless when Spencer arrived haha.

Wren-haters and Spoby-lovers rejoice, for this chapter is when things start getting interesting ;)

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

Spencer's knuckles rapped on Toby's front door desperately, practically gasping for air, trying to pull herself together. She had run the entire way there and hadn't stopped sobbing yet. The thunderstorm raging outside only added to her already disastrous mood. She felt like a hole had been ripped through her insides, as if a big claw swiped her middle and left her feeling both in unbearable pain and nauseous with blood loss. Her body was in perfect condition though; it was just her heart that had been betrayed. She swore she was going to choke on the lump in her throat. No matter how hard she cried, it wasn't going away.

To make her evening ten times worse than it already was, it was Jenna who answered the door.

"Sp-Spencer?" Jenna asked, obviously surprised to see her in such a state.

Hell, at this point, Spencer didn't give the tiniest semblance of a care what Jenna thought of her right now. "Is T-Toby here?" Spencer asked but choked on her words.

"He's just out getting groceries…" Spencer whimpered at the words unintentionally. "But he should be back any minute. Feel free to wait for him. Come in before you catch a cold." she instructed rather maternally but not in a patronizing way.

Spencer nodded her thanks, wiping at her face, feeling self-conscious now but not enough to do more than that. She sat gingerly on the edge of the couch.

Jenna swept away and came back with a big box of Kleenex and a tank top, sweater and yoga pants. She set them next to her with a towel. "I did laundry earlier so these are clean if you want to change. You must be freezing. You're welcome to shower as well. Do you want some hot chocolate?" she asked sympathetically.

Spencer felt her eyes bursting with tears again. "Thanks." she half-sobbed in reply before pressing her hands against her mouth to force the cries back.

Jenna looked genuinely upset at seeing her this way. "Okay. Whoever he is, honey, he's an idiot." she added for good measure before sweeping away to start the kettle.

Spencer was so surprised she stopped crying. When had Jenna turned sweet anyways? What parallel universe had she stumbled into? Had Toby really been right about her? Because by the looks of things, Jenna was trying really hard to be nice to her even though there was about a million ways she could make things worse right now. Maybe she wasn't completely evil after all…

Thankfully, the door opened a few moments later and Toby came in, shaking the water out of his hair and placing the grocery bags on the floor as he took off his wet windbreaker.

"It's basically a monsoon out there. You better be grateful I offered to get groceries this time." Toby teased his step-sister, not seeing the current occupant of his couch from his angle.

Jenna nodded towards the couch, grimacing slightly, and Toby confusedly looked over.

Upon seeing the girl he loved surrounded by used tissues and drenched to the bone, he immediately forgot about the bags at his feet and rushed over.

"Spencer, what happened? Are you okay?" he demanded, and that caused her to burst into tears all over again.

Toby wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his lap, not caring how wet her clothes were. He rocked her back and forth, shushing her. "I've got you, Spence. Whatever it is we'll work through it. Shh, sweetheart, it's okay. It's going to be okay. I'm right here."

Spencer nuzzled as close to him as physically possible. Her body began shivering uncontrollably as she tried to control her tears.

Jenna set her newly made hot chocolate down on the coffee table. "I'll get the fleece blanket from the closet." she murmured quietly.

Toby nodded his thanks. "Spence, we need to get you out of these clothes."

For the first time since he had seen her, she cracked a smile. He knew her mind was immediately in the gutter and rolled his eyes, smirking.

"Not what I meant."

She giggled and untangled herself from him finally, sipping at the mug in front of her. Jenna returned with the blanket.

Spencer's eyes went wide and she placed it down on the coaster, her eyes huge. "What is _IN_ this?!"

Jenna looked alarmed. Did she think she poisoned it or something? Was it that bad? "Um it's my own recipe..." she began apprehensively.

Spencer shook her head in disbelief. "It's AMAZING! The best thing I've ever tasted." she admitted incredulously.

Jenna looked flattered, blushing slightly. "Oh, well, thanks! I once wanted to open up a little coffee shop of my own and that was going to be the first thing on the menu."

Spencer nodded vigorously. "Do it. Seriously, do it. This is perfection. Thanks, Jenna." she added sincerely.

Jenna smiled, still looking a little skittish. "You're welcome, Spencer. I'll leave you in Toby's qualified hands." She left for her room and closed the door.

Spencer turned back to Toby.

"You should shower and then we'll talk when you have some dry clothes on." he told her seriously.

She nodded and gathered the stuff Jenna laid out for her, heading into the bathroom to wash away more than just the chill from the rain.

* * *

Toby had switched his jeans out for grey sweatpants since they had gotten soaked on the way home but his t-shirt was relatively dry so he left that as is.

He went to sit in the living room to wait for Spencer, playing with his phone and generally anxious for her to return.

He spotted the hot chocolate and realized it would've cooled considerably by now so he heated it up in the microwave. He stirred it after the incessant beeping and sipped delicately from the opposite side to check the temperature.

"Toby! Are you stealing MY hot chocolate?!" Spencer demanded from across the room, rubbing her wet hair with her towel. She was dressed in a tight fitting tank top and yoga pants and Toby knew Jenna had done that on purpose. It wasn't to torture Toby though; he had a feeling she was trying to help in her confusing-Jenna-way.

Toby smirked at Spencer, trying not to let his eyes wander down her curves. "I was just… testing it." he said. "Plus, Jenna's never made me hot chocolate. I was curious…"

But she was already rushing over to wrestle it out of his hands. He put it down on the counter, knowing if it got between them they'd both be scalded.

Spencer grinned before leaping at him, reaching out to begin their typical tickle war. Toby dragged her away by her middle, letting his fingers find that spot beneath her ribcage that caused her to squeal on cue. He was laughing into her while she flailed in his arms in an attempt to switch the power holding and get him back.

"JENNA! Toby's trying to steal my hot chocolate!" Spencer shouted, somehow their limbs tangled together like octopi now.

Jenna came out to see them collapse on the kitchen floor, still not letting up on their wrestling.

"Toby, you could've just asked me to make you some…" Jenna drawled amusedly, knowingly adding fire to their game. She felt like a mother between two children.

"SEE!" Spencer shouted like said child.

Toby rolled his eyes as he fought with her, trying not to let her get at the spot she somehow instinctively found whenever they got into these fights. "I don't see why Spencer gets some when I don't. I'm your roommate." He attempted to pout but was chuckling at Spencer's attempts to beat him so it fell flat. He was a lot stronger than she was.

Jenna rolled her eyes in time with Spencer. "Spencer needed it more than you do. Anyways, I'm on my way out. Try not to kill each other."

Spencer was firing hits at Toby's stomach but they were bouncing off like a tennis ball against a brick wall. "Where are you going?" Toby asked, seemingly unperturbed by the playfully abusive brunette beneath him.

"Jackie's. She's having a few people over for drinks. I should only be a few hours but who knows, it might be a girls night, so if I don't come back I'm probably staying over." she said, referring to her friend a few floors up in their building. They had a class together.

Toby nodded. "Well text me if you do stay, okay? A lot can happen between there and here that could delay you."

Jenna looked touched by his concern. "Of course I will. Glad Toby managed to cheer you up, Spencer. Have fun you two." she called before locking the front door behind her.

Toby, momentarily distracted by Jenna's departure, accidentally let Spencer get out from under him and pinned him down, straddling him.

"HA! I win." she said triumphantly, looking damn proud of herself.

Toby rolled his eyes. He attempted to suddenly shift to catch her off guard, but she was expecting it and giggled with laughter when he remained stuck underneath her. She made herself more comfortable but in her movement caused her pelvis to rub against his. With just the thin material of sweatpants and spandex between them, they both felt far too much of the other. He accidentally grunted at the feel and they both seemed to be aware of how intertwined they were.

Their fight had been rather vigorous so Spencer was breathing heavily, causing her chest to rise and fall rather rapidly and his eyes to be drawn to that particular part of her upper body. They both licked their lips simultaneously.

Toby, always a gentleman despite his Y chromosome telling him not to be right now, gently lifted Spencer off of him and got to his feet. If they stayed like that for too much longer he would lose control and tonight of all nights was the last time he'd want to do that. She had been so upset earlier and he wanted to find out from what.

"We should talk about what happened today that brought you here." Toby reminded her.

She followed him to the living room where they sat down on the couch and he immediately took her hands in his when she looked down sadly.

"Talk to me, Spence. I'm here for you. No matter what it is, we'll get through it."

She nodded. "I talked to Wren today. I was hoping we'd work things out like we always do. Last night… was our harshest fight to date though. I went to his place not sure of what the outcome would be and knowing the odds…"

Toby felt a clench in his gut. So they broke up. Poor Spencer. Even he could tell by the way she looked at him last night that she really did love him. They seemed good together too; both very driven and he seemed like he treated her well. Couples fight and nobody's perfect, but not all relationships are meant to be.

Toby squeezed her hands. "I'm sorry, Spencer. I know you really loved him."

She looked down as the tears started building. "We didn't break up because of our fight last night. I mean, we did, but not in the way you'd think." she continued. "Something happened last night after we fought…"

He felt confused but waited patiently for Spencer to continue. Her breathing was becoming shakier as she tried to find the courage to relive it out loud.

* * *

_Spencer bravely knocked on Wren's apartment door. It had taken a lot of pacing in the hallway before she finally gathered enough to hit her knuckles against the wood._

_Wren opened it and smiled immediately upon seeing her, pulling her into a long kiss._

_Surprised, she didn't fight him off but stood frozen in his doorway, not sure what was going on. He seemed to be searching for something with that kiss; needing reassurance that she was there or something. What was going on with him?_

_When he pulled back, she saw he looked pretty shitty. He must've been rather hung-over after how fast he drank. It was late afternoon and he still looked like he had only just woken up from a crazy night out._

"_Come in, come in." Wren exclaimed, gesturing her inside and closing the door behind her._

_She smiled as she sat opposite of him on his leather couch. He immediately took her hands in his._

_Spencer felt uneasy. Normally after a fight he wasn't this… enthusiastic. He was acting like nothing had happened and they were just getting together to hangout for the first time in a while._

"_We should talk about last night." she blurted out, wishing he'd drop the excited boyfriend act. His super friendly routine was starting to freak her out. It was like he was overcompensating for something._

_Sure enough, his face immediately fell from its awkward grin and into a frown. "Yeah, we should…"_

_Spencer waited patiently, wondering if he would start._

_Naturally he didn't._

_She sighed. "So I really heard what you said last night. About me and Toby." she said bravely. "I talked to him about it and he agreed we should have some space."_

"_So you're not seeing him for a while?" Wren asked hopefully._

_Spencer chewed the inside of her cheek. "Well we're going to try not to be so… joined at the hip." she settled on. She and Toby hadn't agreed that they'd see each other less, just that they'd try to keep the overly cutesy touching to a minimum. She wouldn't tell Wren, but there was no way she was decreasing her time spent with Toby. They didn't see each other _that _much anyways. They both had lives after all. But he was her best friend and she did like to see him as often as she could._

_Wren seemed to accept that. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said. I did mean what I said about Toby though. He seems like a really stand-up guy. We didn't talk much but he just seemed very genuine. I can see why you like the guy so much and he's obviously very easygoing. But it was hard to see him being welcomed to your group like he founded the entire thing while I sit awkwardly on the outside lines like I had done a dozen times before. Your friends are sweet but let's face it, I stick out."_

"_They like you, Wren. You're a great guy and they can see that. But when we end every outing in a fight, they lose sight of that so things get awkward. I think they just wait around for it to happen again and then we keep proving them right. I think we need to start saving those for when we're truly alone if you really want to make progress with them." she told him apprehensively._

_Wren nodded and scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not such a great guy…"_

_Spencer smiled. "Of course you are, Wren. That's why I love you so much. There are so many great things about you that you just don't even seem to realize-"_

"_Spencer." he cut her off, looking bothered. The way he said her name silenced her instantly. "Something… something happened last night."_

_She felt confused. His tone was doing little to reassure her that it wasn't something simple. "Okay… what happened?"_

"_I… I didn't get my moment of clarity until this morning. Last night, I was really pissed at you. I was hurt, feeling like second best, thinking you loved Toby more than me… I thought about how much better off you'd be with him…"_

_Spencer felt panic starting to bloom from the bottom of her stomach, sloshing acid around and making her feel sick._

"_I love you Spencer, I want you to know that. I was so stupid, so drunk and stupid…"_

_Spencer moved away from him. She didn't like the sound of this at all._

"_What happened?" she asked evenly, an eerie calmness to her voice._

"_I… I ran off pissed. I… I just wanted to get back at you. I wanted you to understand how I felt. I found myself in front of Melissa's condo so I called her, but she happened to be walking up the street at the same time, back from a bad night out too…"_

_Spencer felt something strong and powerful take hold of her lungs. Her whole body locked, even her jaw. "What. Happened." she repeated, colder now. She had a pretty good inkling what was coming but she was going to force him to say it out loud. She had to hear him state the words so there was no room for misunderstanding._

"_Spence… it doesn't mean I don't love you. I do. I was just hurt and needed to feel like somebody wanted me…"_

_She inhaled heavily. "Wren Kingston, you tell me what happened right now or I swear to god-"_

"_I slept with her, okay?! I had sex with Melissa last night."_

_The whole world tumbled beneath Spencer in that moment. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't see. She couldn't even hear properly, it was like someone had put a bucket over her head. Her stomach tumbled; she was going to be violently sick. Melissa. Her sister. The one Wren left to be with her, he went back to her. He went back to Melissa._

_She was vaguely aware of the words that he was saying, but not enough to process them. "I felt so guilty afterwards I couldn't call you back… I've never regretted something so much in my life… I love you, Spencer, it didn't mean anything…"_

_But that last one caught her attention. She leaped to her feet and stared him down furiously, seeing red._

"_It 'didn't mean anything'? You slept with my sister, Wren! MY SISTER! You know how our relationship is… you know how much our relationship was ruined because of mine and your relationship! How could you, Wren? How _could_ you?! Of all the people in the world… I can never face my family again. She's probably sitting at home now laughing with my parents about how stupid I've been this entire time, thinking you loved me. You _humiliated _me with my own family. I was already ostracized but now…"_

_By now her tears were taking over her words and she wrapped her arms around her middle like she had done the night before, as if trying to hold herself physically together._

_Wren stood, reaching out a hand, sadness in his eyes. She recoiled, hate reflecting back at him._

"_Don't you DARE touch me. We're over. _Forever_. I never want to see you again. I can't believe you would do that to me. After all you and I have been through with our families! You know how I feel about Melissa, you know better than anyone, and you wanted to hurt me like that? Me and Toby have never done anything that wasn't strictly platonic and that's how you get back at me? Because you don't like how close I am with my best friend? Grow a pair, Wren, and go to hell!" she shouted and slammed his door so hard behind her it rattled in its frame._

_The tears took over and she ran out of there before he could chase after her to change her mind._

* * *

The retelling caused the floodgates to open and pain to come back full force and all of the cheering up Toby had done in the past twenty minutes went down the drain.

"How could he do that to me? He slept with somebody else and it was my SISTER. He knows how much that would hurt… he couldn't pick a worse person… he knows I've spent my entire life trying to prove I'm as good as her… and he goes _back_ to her?!" Spencer cried into Toby's chest. He was holding her again, rubbing her back soothingly.

Toby, for once, was at a loss for words. He had no idea how to make her feel better. He couldn't believe what Wren had done. How could Wren even _look_ at another woman when he had Spencer? If Toby was him, he'd be counting his lucky stars every day that he had gotten so lucky. He did that now and they were only friends.

"It's just…" Spencer continued, not seeming to mind his silence, sniffling badly. "It was literally my worst fear coming true. I always tried so hard with him, trying to remind him that he picked the right sister. I knew Melissa was a catch but I wanted to prove to him, to somebody, that I was better than her. That even though he had had her, he was happier with me. That I was _more_ than good enough. But I was so stupid. Why would anyone choose me over Melissa? She's older, and prettier than me and probably smarter… my parents love her more than me… my friends all would come over and idolize her…"

Toby's heart hurt seeing her this way. She sounded so low and broken. That was not the Spencer Hastings he knew. The Spencer he knew was strong, confident and feisty.

"I'm just unlovable I guess. And apparently bad in bed if he's going back to uptight Melissa." she whimpered.

Toby sighed. He just couldn't handle this. He pulled back to look at her.

"Spencer… I don't know how else to put this, so forgive me if I sound like an ass." he said, smiling slightly. Her mocha eyes were wide with innocence and a glimmer of hope. "Wren is a fucking _idiot_."

She jumped in surprise at the curse.

He continued, looking determinedly into her eyes. "Melissa is not better than you. She's not prettier, or smarter, or better in any way. I can't deny that she's older." he added amusedly. "But Wren deserves second best now because you are way out of his league if he's that moronic to think that he could find anyone that can even compare to you."

Spencer bit her lip bashfully, not wanting to admit how much she liked what he was saying. "You've never even met Melissa. How do you know she's not prettier or smarter than me?" she demanded. She was a Hastings and she wasn't trained to just accept facts without a proper argument.

Toby smiled, looking like he had been waiting for her to ask that. He cupped her face in his hands tenderly. "Because _no one_ is prettier than you, smarter than you or better than you. You are one of a kind and in a league all of your own. Your intelligence can't just be measured in IQ and school grades. And you're not pretty, Spence, you're gorgeous. You've got this classic beauty to you… you're not that typical pretty face; you're different and elegant and are the kind of beauty that artists get inspired by. You're funny and adorable and never fail to cheer me up even when I'm at my lowest. You're sweet, loving, protective, ambitious, full of heart and fire. You don't stop until you have all the answers and you'd do anything for your friends. You can persuade anyone into seeing your side of things and are so comfortable being yourself that people follow you instantly. When you're near me, it's like I can take on the world. You're like this… beacon of light or something. You just inspire strength in those around you."

He knew he was rambling and he hadn't even realized how long he had been talking until he noticed Spencer had tears pouring down her face. She suddenly lunged at him, throwing her arms around his neck in a hug.

Toby wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "I love you, Spencer Hastings, every single part of you. I know everybody has flaws but when I'm with you I have a hard time finding anything less than perfect. You're incredible and don't let some idiotic guy make you feel otherwise."

She nodded into his neck, trying to get a hold of herself but failing. Who _was_ this man? Just having him in her life was proof enough that she must be something special to deserve having him.

"I love you, Toby. I don't know how I've survived this long without you." she giggled giddily into him, kissing his cheek and wishing she was bold enough to go for his lips.

Even though she knew her feelings for Toby were growing, she still had been hurt too recently and needed some time. Things with Toby had been so back and forth and she really just needed her dependable rock right now rather than dive into something so unknown.

She hoped she would be there one day, especially with him.

Spencer's phone beeped, breaking them apart. She dug through her pile of soaked clothes and pulled it out. She sighed as she saw the sender. "Hanna, wondering where I am… I don't know how I'm supposed to face her. She just wants to gush about Caleb and I don't think I can take it right now, or, well, for the next week." she groaned, tossing it back into the pile.

Toby squeezed her knee reassuringly. "Stay here tonight. Hell, stay for the next week. You know I love having you here."

Her eyes lit up and he knew for the second time that night that he had said the right thing. "Are you sure? I don't want to crowd you or overstay my welcome… and Jenna-"

"-is barely ever here, especially during the week." Toby finished for her. "Her classes usually go from about ten am until seven pm. She comes home exhausted, heats up dinner for herself and then basically crashes. She won't even know you're here, plus she's used to you by now. And it'll be a perfect time to test out her new 'tolerance'." he added with a wink.

She chuckled. "Toby, you know I'd love to stay-"

"Then it's settled then. We'll head over and grab your necessities and you can camp out here while you figure some stuff out. I'm sure Hanna won't mind having the place to herself for a few days." Toby added.

Spencer sighed. Even if she wanted to argue with him, she wouldn't bother. He was right. She really did need some space and time to herself to figure out what she really wanted and she knew she couldn't get that at her own apartment. It was nothing against Hanna; it's just that Toby's apartment was much quieter than theirs. She'd be left to herself much more at his place than her own.

With an acquiescing sigh, Spencer followed Toby out of the door, grateful that the rain had stopped and that her dependable rock never wavered in knowing exactly what she needed.


	10. Chapter 10

GAH your reviews last chapter made me cryyyyy hahaha you're all far too sweet :) I'm so so happy you guys are loving this story so much, it's been a lot of fun to write. I'm not sure exactly where I'm going with it still. I'm considering cutting it off soon and instead continuing in a sequel because I think that'll flow much better, but I haven't decided yet. I don't think I have enough ideas to form a proper plot for a sequel, but we'll see :)

For now, you guys are amazing and I love you. I'll keep you posted on what's up. I'm trying to write as much as I can in the next few days so I can make a decision on what to do sooner and then update regularly again. Sorry I'm a little slower, I'm trying to get this one right :) I feel like you guys have set a high bar for my writing now hahaha and I don't want to disappoint. I love that though; it makes me work harder to be better and nothing is more satisfying than trying to outdo yourself.

I laughed out loud at how many of you were craving hot chocolate after last chapter. ME TOO. Also, in the few chapters before, where Toby made grilled cheese. I like writing sweet Jenna, but bitchy Jenna is so damn fun. I can honestly say I don't know what I'm going to do with her. I left the window open for myself for a reason haha but she's the best addition of drama ever. I have an idea for a compromise which you may see later :)

This chapter is filled to the BRIM with cheesiness, but Spoby sweetness, which will only continue in the next few chapters. I mention Tangled, the Disney movie, which is one of my favorites. That movie is just so sweet and fit in with what I wanted for that scene. Anyways, the fluff will only continue what with Spencer staying with Toby all week ;) So I hope that's okay with you guys!

Good Lord I need to shut up. Enjoy the chapter lovelies! I'm really not sure how I feel about it myself. I battled a lot on where to cut it off, so let me know what you think :)

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars or Disney's Tangled.**

* * *

Spencer had texted Hanna with a simple '_sorry I didn't call. I'll explain when I see you. on my way home._' and Hanna seemed to have accepted that.

Spencer sighed when they pulled up outside of her apartment building. She wasn't really sure how Hanna was going to react to the news of her staying at Toby's for a few days and being broken up with Wren. She didn't want to keep her out of the loop, but she hoped she understood and didn't make her feel guilty about it. Hanna would never intentionally make Spencer feel bad, but sometimes her blunt honesty came out at inopportune times.

"Let me know when you're ready to be picked up. I'll give you guys some time to talk." Toby told her. "I've got to go out and run an errand anyways."

Spencer looked at him funny. He was hiding a proud grin. "Didn't you run errands earlier? Did you forget something?"

He smirked. "No. But trust me, it needs to be done. It's worth the extra trip." he said, almost a little giddily, a plan forming in his head.

Spencer put her hands up in surrender, wondering what on earth had Toby Cavanaugh so excited. Deciding she'd never fully understand his random behavior, she headed into her apartment building with a final wave, letting him drive off to whatever crazy idea he had cooked up in his mind.

* * *

When Spencer unlocked her front door, she felt an odd feeling at the sight of her apartment. It was just as she left it of course, but so much had changed since then. Wren was not the guy she thought he was anymore. When she had last entered the front door, she had hopes that they would be able to mend things. Now, she would be happier if she never saw him again.

Hanna heard the door open and poked her head out from her bedroom.

"Spence! You're home!" she said happily, coming out to hug her.

Spencer felt her eyes well up. Living with Hanna had its up and downs, but one of the very best things about it was how at home she felt here. She never felt like her family really cared about her whereabouts and Hanna always checked to make sure she knew where Spencer was supposed to be and wished her goodnight every single night. She always greeted her positively when she came in, even if she was in a bad mood. It was like… having Spencer come home made it just a little bit better. And she had never felt that way at home. She always felt like a burden to her family. Here, she felt wanted.

Hanna held her closer when she felt Spencer start crying.

"Spence, what's wrong?" her roommate asked in concern, squeezing her tighter. She couldn't speak through her tears so Hanna was forced to guess. "Did you and Wren break-up?"

Spencer nodded miserably into the blonde's shoulder, trying to get a hold of herself. She had already cried all over Toby; she really shouldn't force Hanna to endure the same torture.

Hanna sighed and Spencer braced herself for the 'it's about time'.

"I'm sorry, Spence. I know how much you care about him. Any way it can be salvaged?" Hanna asked, trying to force some hope into her voice.

Frankly Spencer was touched that Hanna cared so much. She knew Hanna was on the break-up-with-Wren-already team, but it was sweet that she was trying to put her feelings aside to support her friend.

"No." Spencer said shortly, pulling back and wiping her face. "It's done but it's better this way. I'll be okay."

"Okay…" Hanna replied, accepting her matter-of-fact tone and knowing she didn't want to delve into it. "Well, we can do whatever you want tonight! Caleb was going to come over and watch some horror movies but I'll cancel on him and we can watch some chick flicks and do Cosmo quizzes and gush over Jake Gyllenhaal since I know you love him…"

She stopped at Spencer's apologetic expression.

Spencer inhaled. "I appreciate that, Han. But I actually just came by to grab some of my stuff. I'm spending the night at Toby's again. And… I think I might stay an extra few days. I just need some time and space to figure things out. It's nothing against you, it's just… quieter there."

Hanna nodded, looking sympathetic and fixing a strand of Spencer's hair affectionately. "I understand. With me doing online classes, having Mona over for our weekly shows and now Caleb joining the mix… it doesn't exactly give you the time to yourself you need. It's too distracting here. Toby's good for you anyways; he seems to know how to screw your head back on straight without even trying."

Spencer chuckled. She had a point.

Hanna's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait a minute. You said you're staying there_ again_…" She had always had an eye for gossip and especially secrets. "… you didn't stay at Wren's last night, did you? You slept at Toby's? Wait, how often do you guys have sleepovers? Did Wren know?"

Spencer rolled her eyes at all of the questions and led Hanna to her room so she could pack while explaining the situation to her overly excited roommate.

She pulled her small suitcase out from under the bed and started sifting through her drawers for her clothes for the week.

"Last night was the first time we've ever spent the night together, although we've had naps on his bed a couple times. But last night Toby offered to walk me home after he saw how upset I was over my fight with Wren. Wren had stormed off and said some pretty ugly things and I wasn't ready to be alone. I asked to stay with him and he let me, but we slept separately. He gave me his bed and he slept on the pull-out one in the living room." _At least until you went to sleep next to him when he was out cold_. her brain reminded her, but she ignored it.

Hanna was completely enraptured in her story, nodding vigorously, her eyes round as she awaited juicier details, as if Spencer was simply building suspense.

The brunette rolled her eyes at her roommate's enthusiasm. "Nothing happened between us, Han. Toby's a gentleman. Despite Wren's beliefs, Toby and I have never done anything that wasn't strictly friendly."

Hanna pouted disappointedly. "So you're telling me you _don't_ have feelings for Toby?"

Spencer looked down in shame. "I'd be lying if I said that."

Hanna turned her face up hopefully. "You know, you guys look like a couple when you're together. And Toby's an attractive guy."

"Yeah, that's what Wren said." Spencer said, rolling her eyes, still hurt and pissed at her recent ex.

"That Toby's hot?" the blonde asked in confusion.

Spencer laughed. "No, about us looking like a couple. You'd have to be blind not to find Toby attractive… and that was _before_ I saw him without a shirt." she added mischievously, and of course Hanna took the bait.

"WHEN did you see him without a shirt?! Was that all that was uncovered?!" Hanna demanded.

Spencer rolled her eyes again, chuckling at her friend's enthusiasm. "He took off his shirt after he was sleeping in the living room. I didn't see it until after he thought I was in bed. But Han… my god, he puts all those posters in your old room to shame. I've never seen a more attractive body before. Caleb was right about him being secretly ripped."

"Caleb's not doing bad himself. He's got a pretty decent body." Hanna commented and her friend could tell by the giddy smile on her face that something did indeed happen between the pair the night before and she was dying for Spencer to ask her about it.

Spencer turned from packing her toiletries to raise an eyebrow. "And you know this from firsthand experience?" she asked in her serious, yet amused, way.

Hanna practically burst her face with the grin that formed as she started her retelling of the previous night's events. "Well he offered to walk me home since his apartment is only a couple blocks from here and I thought you'd be going to Wren's…." she began excitedly. "We had been talking and joking around and before I knew it we were outside our building. I guess he didn't want to leave quite yet, since he offered to walk me to my door. I had a feeling what was coming, but I did the typical fumbling with my keys so he got the message and he went for it. He pressed me against the door and we made out for a really long time. He's a really good kisser too."

Spencer chuckled, remembering earlier in the night when they had been bantering and thinking that the pair would make an interesting couple. Hanna needed a guy who challenged her. Her last boyfriend, Sean, was a nice guy but far too conservative to keep up with her.

"So are you guys…?" she began questioningly, texting Toby on the side to tell him she was all set.

Hanna shook her head, her cheeks a little pink. "We're just seeing where things go right now. I hardly know the guy. We're not 'exclusive' but we're 'seeing each other'." she explained with air quotes.

Spencer smiled. "Well he seems like a pretty cool guy. It'd be nice if the four of us could hang out."

"You mean, like a _double date_?" Hanna challenged with a grin.

The brunette laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess we'll have to wait and see how things go." she replied simply, double-meaning in her words.

Hanna's eyes went rounder in wonder. "The reason you agreed to staying at Toby's… you're trying to figure out things _about_ him, aren't you? Are you considering making a move?!" she asked, following Spencer down the hall as she nonchalantly left the room with a smirk.

"I've been considering since I met the guy… but _maybe_…" she added teasingly with a wink as she waved goodbye and practically skipped down the hall with her suitcase rolling behind her.

"SPENCER!" Hanna screeched in annoyance, outraged that she'd drop a bomb like this when she was leaving without more of an explanation.

Spencer just laughed. "I'll keep you posted, Han." she called back.

Satisfied with her answer, Hanna headed back inside, crossing her fingers on both hands to accentuate the hope she had for the two soul-mates to finally get together.

* * *

Outside, Toby pulled up to the curb to await Spencer and was surprised at the shaggy haired male strolling up the sidewalk towards the same building.

"Caleb!" Toby called out and the man swiveled, grinning at seeing his old friend.

He came over and checked out his motorcycle appreciatively. "Nice ride. You here for Spencer?"

Toby nodded. "Yeah. You here for Hanna?" he teased slyly.

Caleb, for the first time ever in Toby's presence, blushed. "Uh… yeah. We're just hanging out and watching movies."

Toby smirked at how bashful Caleb looked. Much different than his usual pseudo-smug look. "I see."

Toby's simple response seemed to do the trick. "Ugh, FINE! I'm into her. Whatever. She slapped _Jenna Marshall_ for god sakes, if that's not a reason to like her, I don't know what is. She's bad ass, but not _bad_. She's blunt and sarcastic and just filled to the brim with sex appeal."

Toby's eyes softened sympathetically. "Caleb, I don't want to be an ass, but I don't think Hanna's the good-time-girl you're looking for."

Caleb shook his head. "I don't want her for sex. I mean… you know what I mean. It's more than that." he admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "I dunno, dude, I'm not used to feeling like this. I'm all… jittery or something. I practically ran here because I couldn't wait to be around her again. I want to get to know her better. Figure out how in the hell she became such a force of nature."

His friend smiled. "You're already falling for her, man, and by the sounds of it, falling hard."

"Yeah, well you would know all about that, wouldn't you?" Caleb teased.

Toby didn't reply; not that he needed to.

"What are you and Spencer doing tonight?" the longer-haired one continued.

Toby stretched out his arms in front of him, his fingers locked together, his eyes on the ground. "She's actually staying at my place for a few days. She and her boyfriend just had a rough split and she needs some space and time to herself. I offered and she accepted."

Caleb chuckled. "Time to herself or time with you?"

Toby shrugged. "She and Wren just broke up. I don't think she's going to be trying anything anytime soon, if she even _wants_ to. It's okay; I just want her to be happy and to be in my life in some form."

"Man, she's in lo-" he shut up when the brunette in question came out with her small suitcase trailing behind her.

"Hey Caleb. Hanna's waiting for you." she said, hiding a smile, remembering the details of Hanna's story.

He seemed to notice anyways since he looked uncomfortable. "Err, right. Well have a good night." he told them before quickly heading upstairs to meet Hanna, not wanting to hear any teasing from Spencer about what had happened last night.

Toby popped open the back of his motorcycle and was grateful that, when the helmets were removed, her overnight suitcase fit perfectly. He passed her the helmet that was now pretty much hers and she climbed on the back behind him.

"Did you get your errand done?" Spencer asked as she shuffled closer to him.

He smiled, although his back was to her so she couldn't see it. "I did. I dropped the stuff off at the apartment."

Spencer frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take so long. Hanna wanted to gush about Caleb and then she kept hounding me on details about-" She stopped, not wanting to admit that they had been gossiping about him. "Um, what I knew about Caleb, which was pretty much nothing…"

Toby caught her awkward shift but didn't press her. It wasn't his business what they were talking about anyways.

"Well he'll handle that from now on. For now, you are all mine." he teased, pulling out from his spot on the side of the road and heading towards his apartment.

Spencer tightened her arms around his middle, hoping he understood she was hugging him more than just hanging on for dear life. He seemed to since he momentarily rested his hand on her locked ones, squeezing just slightly before returning them to their proper place.

She smiled. She was really happy she was staying with him for more than just tonight.

* * *

Spencer parked her suitcase next to the couch when they arrived at his place.

"You can leave that in my room if you want." Toby added as he hung up his coat on the rack.

She pivoted on her heel to smile sweetly at him. "That's very thoughtful of you, but since I'm sleeping out here, I might as well have my stuff nearby." He opened his mouth to argue but she raised a hand to silence him. "No arguments this time, Toby. I discovered last night just how comfortable this bed is. There is no reason you shouldn't sleep in your own bed, especially on a school night."

He grumbled a little but seemed to accept her decision.

"So what do you want to do tonight?" Spencer asked, leaning against the back of the couch.

Toby smiled and walked over to the bags on the counter. They were the reusable environmentally-friendly cloth bags that held a lot more than the average plastic grocery bag and they were practically filled.

"What did you do, rob a convenience store?" Spencer asked incredulously, finally noticing them.

He smirked mischievously. "No, but I figured you could use some cheering up tonight."

He began pulling out the contents of the bag, revealing a bag of white cheddar flavored popcorn, skittles, vitamin water and last but not least bubblegum ice cream. She stared in disbelief. He reached in again to pull out a few movie choices.

"How did you… what…" she asked, shaking her head.

He blushed a little. "One of our first nights hanging out you said your favorite ice cream when you were a kid was bubblegum even though the gum is all frozen and hard to chew. But you hadn't had any in years. And I will never forget that your favorite junk food snack is white cheddar popcorn with skittles mixed in. That has to be the oddest thing I've ever heard of."

"Says the guy who dips his Oreos in peanut butter." she replied as sarcastically as she could muster, but she was so touched her eyes were tearing up. Curse this man for having such an effect on her tear ducts on a regular basis. He was too thoughtful. He knew she didn't like drinking pop or any other kind of overly sugary drink so he had gotten her her favorite brand of vitamin water. He remembered just the littlest things about her that no one normal would ever pay attention to.

"You should really try it. Have you never seen _The Parent Trap_?" he teased, enveloping his arms around her as she rushed into a hug.

"You are the sweetest man I have ever met." she whispered into his chest, clutching his t-shirt in her dainty hands.

He pressed his lips to the top of her head. "I figured since we acted like kids earlier, we could continue tonight. I picked up some Disney movies and some Audrey Hepburn in case you felt like being a little more sophisticated."

She giggled, loving how well he knew her despite the fact that they had only known each other around two months. It was one of the best things about Toby; his memory for the little stuff was impeccable. He remembered even the little side comments you made or things you didn't even remember telling him. Audrey Hepburn movies were her guilty pleasure and if she remembered correctly, she had only mentioned it in passing one night they were together. But that was enough for him to lock it away in his thoughtful mind.

"Let's go with Disney. I can be sophisticated tomorrow." she told him happily, finally breaking away from him. "But in order for this to be a true slumber party, we need to get in our pajamas and pull out the bed again."

Toby raised his hands in surrender, grinning, and far too pleased with himself for concocting this little plan. Spencer looked so excited. Her smile could put New York lights to shame and she practically pranced over to the couch to start preparing it.

He knew it was going to be an awesome week having her around so much.

* * *

A couple hours later the pair was practically snuggled together. The bed was fully equipped with soft blankets and pillows and the small tub of ice cream was between the two of them now so they could share.

"TOBY!" Spencer screeched, swatting him. "You can't steal bubblegum from my side! It's not fair!"

He laughed at how defensive she was of the rather pathetic candy. "Sorry Spence, won't happen again. Watch the movie; you're missing the best part."

Spencer looked up and her face softened happily at the screen before her. "It's so beautiful. I mean, I know it's animated, but I wish someone whisked me away in a rowboat to watch the floating lanterns gleam over the water…" she said dreamily.

They were watching Disney's _Tangled_, a modern twist on the story of Rapunzel. Flynn had just taken her out into the middle of the lake to see the lanterns float up into the night sky like she had been dreaming about physically witnessing her entire life.

Toby had to admit that the animation was fantastic, and that it truly was a magnificent sight that tugged at your heartstrings a little in its beauty.

"Maybe when the weather warms up a bit." he joked. Fall in Pennsylvania would soon turn to a cool winter.

Spencer smacked herself in the forehead. "I shouldn't have said that to _you_ of all people! You're probably serious and already have plans to rent some fancy yacht-style fairy tale boat with twinkling lights and actual suns painted on the floating lanterns…" she trailed off. She really wouldn't mind that at all. It would be completely ridiculous of him of course, but a small part of her wished for it too.

"I'd do anything to make you happy." he murmured under his breath, not intending for her to hear.

She was Spencer though, and only a few inches away, so of course she heard every word.

Toby blushed as she turned up to look at him in awe and surprise. She reached up to brush a piece of hair off his forehead before stretching her legs up and hovering before his mouth.

Her face changed though, became pained, as the sting in her heart was still too fresh. She trusted Toby completely, but she had trusted Wren too. It was just too soon. Her eyes cast downwards in shame and hurt, remembering why she couldn't take that extra step and kiss Toby right now. If she were to ever lose Toby from her life now, she wasn't sure if she could handle it.

She slumped back to sit on her feet beneath her again, avoiding his eyes.

Toby's eyes softened at seeing her conflicting emotions that were clear on her face. He swept her hair behind her ears and smiled sweetly at her, kissing the tip of her nose before pulling back to settle back into his previous position.

Spencer almost wanted to kiss him more now, his unfailing patience and selfless manner of looking out for what she needed most only made it harder to deny her love for the man in front of her. But if they were to ever do this, really do this, she didn't want anything to be less than perfect. It was probably the Hastings in her, but she also knew it would be a big thing once it started. She had never had a guy best friend before or felt this close to anyone. Turning that into romance would be a giant leap of faith; and after everything that happened, she just wasn't quite brave enough yet.

But she would be. And as she cuddled into Toby's side, his arm comfortingly around her shoulder, she felt like she really had a chance.

* * *

Toby awoke to the sound of someone whispering his name. He blinked his eyes open to see Spencer still asleep, curled into a ball into him. Feeling confused, he scanned around the room to find Jenna standing awkwardly near the bed.

"Sorry to wake you. I just wanted to let you know we ended up calling it a night, what with school tomorrow and all. I'm going to head to bed but you guys should probably move. Otherwise your necks are going to be killing you tomorrow." she told him.

They were still propped in a sitting position thanks to the numerous pillows but had slid down so their necks were at an awkward angle. Glancing at the clock, he realized they'd passed out for about three hours.

Toby nodded. "Thanks, Jenna." he replied, correcting the sleepiness out of his throat.

She smiled wistfully before slipping inside her room.

He looked down at the girl cuddled into him and sighed disappointedly at the thought of waking her. He carefully tried to untwine them but she groaned in her sleep and grabbed at him, preventing him from going anywhere.

"Spence, we have to go to bed." he said soothingly, rubbing her arm gently.

She made a whining noise and shook her head, snuggling back down into the blankets sleepily. He knew right now she felt she was comfortable, but in a few hours her muscles would be screaming at her. A part of him wanted to leave her there as she was but he knew they'd be better off in his bed. She was being far too nice when she claimed that bed was comfy. It was a rather old couch and the mattress was pretty lumpy now. Their parents had given it to the step-siblings when they replaced the old one in their living room.

Toby finally slipped out of the bed unhappily and Spencer still didn't move. He gently pulled her light-weight body out of the blankets and she instantly was like a ragdoll. He knew she must be exhausted after the day she had.

He gently grasped her arms and looped them around his neck, placing his hands underneath her thighs to lift her so he was holding her like a father holds a child. She rested her face in his neck, humming sleepily, apparently unperturbed by the movement.

Upon closing his bedroom door and making his way to the bed, Toby lost his balance a little and toppled backwards onto the bed with a groan.

Thankfully his bed was very soft and it was more a groan of annoyance than pain. Spencer was lying on top of him now but merely adjusted herself more comfortably, not letting him get up.

"Your chest is really hard." she mumbled, sliding up to lay her head in the crook of his shoulder.

He chuckled at her comment and tried to place her in a more comfortable position but she tightened her arms around his neck.

"I like here. I can hear your heartbeat." Spencer whispered sleepily.

Toby exhaled and let his fingertips run up and down her spine as she drifted back to sleep. Although she was straddling him and their bodies were in full contact, there was no sexual element to their position. He loved just holding her this way.

Toby let the sound of her even breathing lull him into blissful dreams.


	11. Chapter 11

Over one hundred reviews? Have I told you lately how much I love you all!? You guys are far too good to me.

There seemed to be some confusion over what I said in my last A/N. I WILL be finishing this story for sure, it just depends on how soon. I'm 90% sure I'm going to do a sequel now, after I finish this story up nicely :) In my sequel, I do plan on showcasing a bit more of the other couples, while still being Spoby based. However, I still haven't finished writing _this_ story so we have some time before you have to worry about it :)

Also, I realized when rereading my earlier stuff that in one of the earlier chapters, I mentioned that there would be NO original characters in this story, and then pretty much the next chapter I contradicted that with Toby and Ezra's boss, Nigel. There isn't a lot of adults on PLL that would work so yes, he is completely made up. He's not really an important character, but all of my other minor characters were from PLL, so sorry about that. Not sure if anyone caught it, but if you did, he's my only OC. I just didn't want to have to make one of the parents be it and I wrote that before Zack was introduced on the show, so there ya have it. I picture Nigel like that guy Emily gets trained by at work at the beginning of season three, and I'm not if he was given a name, so yeah :) But his personality is a little less... hardcore haha.

ANYWAYS Not sure if anyone was paying attention to the physical timeline of this story... but we're closing in on the end of October, which means some important dates are coming up... True Spoby fans, or people with great attention to detail, may know what I'm referring to. If not, well, you probably have more of a life than me... :) Doesn't mean you love Spoby any less, so doesn't matter to me ;)

Love you guys! This chapter is filled with more Spoby-filler-fluff. Enjoy :)

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

"Toby Cavanaugh, if you do not shut off that alarm, I'm going to kill you." Spencer's muffled voice against his shoulder came irritably.

The obnoxious beeping came to a halt when he flopped his hand lazily to the side, thankfully having enough practice to hit the shut off button straight on.

Toby was surprised to find they were in the same position they had fallen asleep in, barely different by an inch. He began to sit up but Spencer groaned loudly, obviously not happy with his suggestion of motion.

"Good morning to you too." he teased down at her, pressing a platonic kiss to her forehead. "If we don't get up now, we'll be late for French. You know Jackie will have our heads… and in a language we won't be able to keep up in."

Spencer sighed and rolled off of him. "Do you want the shower first?"

"Nah, you go ahead. I'll get breakfast started." he told her easily.

She nodded, groaning again, and forced herself out of bed. She headed to her suitcase to grab her things and then paused, seemingly remembering the night before. "How did we get in your room?"

Toby chuckled. "Jenna came home and woke me up, suggesting we go to my room before we were disabled from poor neck posture. You were zombie-sleeping, so I carried you. I don't care what you say, that pull-out bed is pretty awful."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "It's perfectly functional. It's only for a few days." She gathered the rest of her toiletries and her clothes for the day, but she hesitated before heading into the bathroom. "Do you mind if I borrow a towel?"

Toby's face changed to shock. "Are you kidding? Jenna has very specific rules about towel usage. She hand-washes them and sews them herself." he said seriously.

It took Spencer a second to process and then she sent him a look. "You sure are witty in the morning…"

Toby cracked up, surprised he held up for that long. There had been a glimmer of fear in her eyes before she realized he was completely joking. "Sorry, you're just far too polite. It was asking for it. They're in the cupboard next to the sink."

She stuck her tongue out at him for good measure before slipping inside the bathroom.

Toby, far too pleased with his own humor, went back to frying the bacon.

* * *

Toby was setting the table as the last of the food finished off when Spencer came out towel-drying her hair. It was naturally wavy almost halfway down her back and she had no make-up on. She was donned in her usual dressed-up-casual way and he had to say he loved the natural look on her. He had no idea why girls always thought they needed make-up and fancy clothes to make them look pretty. Although, he reasoned, most girls weren't as beautiful as Spencer.

She smirked at him when she saw him hide a smile, knowing exactly what he was laughing at. "I took _two_ towels just to spite you. You should really be more careful. I know how to use that sprayer there." Spencer added, nodding towards the sink where he had gotten a face full of water from with her on their previous breakfast date.

Toby rolled his eyes. "You really shouldn't threaten the people who handle your food." he warned, grinning now.

Spencer finally seemed to notice the toast, fried eggs and bacon he had cooked up, immediately reaching for the steaming mug of mocha liquid he laid out for her. "Good Lord, Toby, do you eat like this every day?"

He shrugged. "Not really. But it's sort of a special occasion. And I like cooking for you." he admitted bashfully, but then switched back to his teasing manner from before. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you know."

Spencer scoffed. "Thanks, _Mom_. In my family it was always a granola bar on the go or some yoghurt and berries if you wanted to go a little crazy."

"Well at my place, I like you to actually feel like a human being, not a rabbit." he explained amusedly as he placed her food in front of her.

"Hastings don't have time to eat." she explained stoutly.

"I like breakfast. And if you're living with me, you're going to get real breakfast offered to you." Toby told her with a smile. He opened the freezer thoughtfully. "Speaking of real meals, what do you want for dinner tonight?"

"Toby, you don't have to feed me every meal of the day-"

He sent her a look. "Spencer, did you not hear me a minute ago? I_ like_ cooking for you. We share a lot of the same tastes. And plus, it can be hard to cook for just two people. It'll be nice to be able to expand our recipe options for one that feeds three."

Spencer sighed. "We should make some pasta. It's been _so long_ since I've had pasta…"

Toby took a bag of packed hamburger out of the freezer and sat opposite of her. "Why?"

She looked at him incredulously. "It's full of carbs! Eating pasta in my house was equivalent with smoking I'm pretty sure. Hastings cannot be anything less than perfect and that includes our waistlines."

Toby's eyes softened, wondering how strict her parents really were. No wonder Spencer took things so seriously; she didn't know how else to live. "Well everything in moderation, Spence. We will cook the best pasta we can find and then we'll go out and do something super active to counteract it and calm that crazy brain of yours."

Spencer smiled. "I like this plan."

Toby finished eating and wiped his mouth, glancing at the clock on the wall. "I better shower. Do you need anything out of the bathroom before I jump in there? I'll only be a few minutes."

She waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, I'm good. The rest of my stuff is out here."

"Good. By the way, I put on another pot of coffee for you." he teased, noticing her already empty mug.

She shaped her hands into a heart in thanks, giggling slightly, before getting up to refill. She had a feeling she was going to like living with Toby an awful lot.

* * *

Spencer spent a few minutes applying her make-up and then put away her things. She was pretty much all set to go except for her hair, which she needed the mirror in the bathroom for.

She figured she should text Hanna to ask how last night with Caleb went and to tell her she missed her, but her phone was nowhere in the living room. Realizing the only other place she could've left it would be Toby's room, she headed in there, not cluing in to the fact that the door was mostly closed.

And there he was. Toby had spun around in surprise, his towel low on his hips as he fought to hold it around his waist, looking every level of sexy the world had ever created. His hair was damp and messier than his usual style, his skin glistening as beads of water dripped down his muscular torso.

Spencer simply stared, unable to help herself, blinking repeatedly to try to wake up from a dream she must be having. Her eyes were trained on his tight abdomen. Could that even be classified as a six pack? It was more like double. How did he do it?

"S-sorry!" Spencer spluttered, finally coming back from reality, and tearing her eyes away from him. "I-I forgot my phone in here I think…"

Toby, always oblivious, was confused on why _she _was so flustered when he was the one exposed. He did a quick search with his eyes around his bedroom. "I don't think you would've brought it in here, Spence. We weren't in here until bed and you were basically unconscious then." he added amusedly, trying to joke over the blush staining his cheeks. He wasn't used to feeling so exposed.

Spencer was staring determinedly at the carpet. "Oh. Yes. Right! Silly me. Alright, well I'm just gonna-" she was laughing nervously and then suddenly bolted from the room, shutting the door fully behind her, cursing herself for being such a moron.

She found her phone at the bottom of her purse and forgot completely why she wanted it in the first place. She closed her eyes and tried to even out her breathing. She had seen his abs before, but it was a whole new ballgame seeing them in proper light. And the way the water was sliding down his body…

Spencer shook herself and headed into the bathroom, determined to use the hairdryer to block out the noise of stadium cheering going on in her head.

* * *

Toby finished dressing, hoping Spencer wouldn't be weird around him for the rest of the day. He thought the door latch had caught; he hadn't realized the door was open slightly. Of course she would come in. At least he still had his towel on.

Now fully dressed, Toby gathered his school bag and what he'd need for the day and left his bedroom. Spencer was filling her travel mug up with even more coffee, causing Toby to chuckle to himself.

She noticed him and was immediately back to her old self. "You like your breakfast and I like my coffee." she reasoned.

"You liked breakfast too." he reminded her, but there was a small trace of doubt in his voice.

Spencer smiled warmly. "I did. Thank you, by the way. I didn't know living here would be like a five star hotel."

"Hey, I expect the same treatment if I ever crash at your place. I better get _breakfast in bed_." he teased.

Spencer rolled her eyes and linked their arms, finally setting off to school together.

* * *

Toby leaned against the counter at work hours later, texting Spencer quickly.

_I forgot I work a short 2 – 6 shift tonight. Do you mind having late dinner? I don't think Jenna will be home until 7:30 so you'll have to pick up the key from me here. Sorry Spence, I completely blanked._

Her reply came almost instantly and even though it was just text he could hear every bit of her usual wit interlaced in the words.

_I'm sure I can handle that, but only because you made me breakfast this morning… ;) I've got a meeting with my academic advisor at three-fifteen but I'll swing by after that?_

_Perfect, I'll obviously be here. Ezra will be here at three so prepare for him hounding you about Aria…_

_Sounds like a blast haha. You're going to have an awesome night._

_Of course I am. I'm spending the evening with you (:_

Spencer took an extra few minutes to respond and he worried she was in class and he wouldn't hear from her again, or that she thought he was the biggest cheeseball on earth and couldn't fathom a suitable response. But while he was washing out the blender, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

_:) I think I'm the lucky one. I'll see you around four x3_

Toby got back to work after that, trying to keep the smile off his face. Yes, he very much was enjoying Spencer staying with him this week.

* * *

It took about forty-five minutes into his shift before Ezra finally couldn't keep it to himself anymore. Toby knew he was struggling not to say anything and bit back a laugh when he noticed Ezra clamping his mouth shut, as if that was the only thing preventing him from word-vomiting out the detailed retelling of the other night.

"Something you want to talk about, Ezra?" Toby asked nonchalantly, finally taking pity on his friend.

He let out an aggravated sigh. "As a matter of a fact, yes!" he exclaimed exasperatedly.

His coworker laughed at him. "How did things go with Aria?"

A vein in Ezra's neck was standing out rather prominently considering the casualness of the situation. He really was ready to burst. "You knew I wanted to be a total girl and ramble on about it. Why didn't you throw me a bone?" he whined, hating how pathetic he sounded.

Toby chuckled as he gracefully positioned the whipped cream on top of one customer's white hot chocolate. "Because it was way more fun watching you struggle with your masculinity."

Ezra rolled his eyes. "_Anyways_…"

Toby passed the customer their drink. It was a cute redhead who was trying to catch his eye, although he was completely oblivious, so he turned back to Ezra. "So, what happened?" he drawled amusedly.

Ezra grinned, happy his friend was playing along. "_Funny you should ask_… things went fantastic. She's really great, better than I could've imagined. She's adorable and spunky and-"

"Toby, your girlfriend is here." Nigel, their boss, interrupted.

Ezra groaned and clutched his face with both hands in annoyance, spinning around in exasperation.

Toby, although amused by Ezra's obvious irritation with not getting to finish his gushing, was confused. Girlfriend? If Jenna was back to her ways…

But it was Spencer that was smiling across the counter at him. He brightened immediately on seeing his best friend and headed around the counter to properly greet her.

"I didn't expect you quite yet." Toby said as he hugged her hello.

She smiled, looking in a better mood than he had seen her in a while. "My meeting was rather short. They just wanted to go over my GPA and how I was handling all of my classes since I'm taking that extra course. Since my GPA is four-point-oh right now, they realized there wasn't much to discuss." she explained amusedly.

Toby smiled and dug the key out of his back pocket, handing it to her. "I went across the street on my break and got you a copy made. I have to work another shift this week and I don't want us to run into this problem again. I'm sorry I dragged you out of your way…"

She shook her head, but looked touched. "No, it's no trouble, I don't mind stopping by. I hoped you hadn't had your break yet and we could grab coffee, but I suppose I'm hogging you enough the next few days."

"You know I don't mind. I should get off on time tonight and dinner won't take me long to throw together. If you get hungry before then, feel free to help yourself to anything at the apartment. I should be home by six-fifteenish."

Spencer nodded. "Sounds good. Um… I should go. I think your boss is looking over here. I don't want to get you in trouble." she added apprehensively.

Toby looked over to see Nigel watching. But he suddenly grinned and raised his eyebrows suggestively, giving him a thumbs up.

Toby turned his laugh into a cough. "He just thinks you're my girlfriend. He's letting me know he approves." he told her in an undertone, sounding far too amused. His boss was rather strict when it came to keeping the business alive, but totally quirky when it came to anything else. Toby and Ezra spent far too many shifts cracking up over their boss' antics.

Spencer blushed. "Yeah, that's my fault. I sort of told him that."

Toby was visibly surprised so she continued.

"I um… it just sort of popped out. I was hoping he'd let me steal you for a few minutes if he thought I was more than just your friend." she lied, not wanting to tell him about the red-haired girl she had seen eying him and the clench of jealousy she felt in response. The girl was in earshot and Spencer felt a small bloom of triumph when her face went from on-the-prowl to neutral at Spencer's fake-title in Toby's life.

Toby chuckled. "I figured when I saw it was you it was just Nigel assuming. But my first thought when he told me was that it was Jenna."

"Has she done that before?" Spencer asked in confusion, looking concerned and sorry that she had let that thought enter his mind.

Toby was fine though, much happier with the alternative. "She's done it plenty of times. In fact, when we signed the lease on the apartment Jenna told the landlord we were together but getting separate rooms so our parents would approve."

Spencer rolled her eyes. Sounded like Jenna.

"But I called her out in front of the woman, saying that we shared parents and apologizing for my _sister_ because she was studying acting and thought it was fun to role play in regular life." he finished.

His best friend grinned. "I love when you put her in her place. Although, I have to admit, since you guys had your talk she really has changed. It's… weird."

Toby smiled wistfully. "Yeah, I don't really know how to react to her anymore. I'm trying to play along but I'm waiting for her to just suddenly lash out like a cobra. Sometimes I feel like she has a hidden agenda."

"Well, I wonder how she'll react when she finds out I'll be around for a few days. I better go, Toby, I've got an English Lit paper to start and that French assignment." Spencer said apologetically, looking disheartened to leave but she had been holding him up from working for almost ten minutes now. There were only a few customers in the store at this time of the day but she still felt guilty.

"Okay, well I was going to work on my assignment when I get home if you want to wait for me." Toby suggested. "I'll see you at the apartment, Spence."

Seeing Nigel watching, he pulled her close and leaned over to kiss her cheek. She had shifted before he could and he ended up pressing his lips right next to her mouth.

They both blushed scarlet and avoided the others' eyes as she turned to leave.

"See you when you get home." Spencer murmured bashfully.

Toby made his way back to behind the counter, trying to act casual.

Ezra was smirking so widely that Toby knew he had seen every bit.

"Oh, shut up already." Toby muttered, causing Ezra to laugh at his expense.

* * *

Toby weaved in and out of the streets after work, still shaking his head in amusement at Ezra's enthusiastic reliving of the previous night.

"_She invited me in for coffee and we made out with her sitting on the counter. On the counter! That's basically a fetish of mine."_

"_Un-sanitizing surfaces?"_

"…_you suck."_

In truth, Toby was happy for his friend. Both Ezra and Caleb seemed to be really into the girls they had paired off with and he was glad they had each found someone. They definitely deserved it.

A black SUV cut him off suddenly and Toby swerved to avoid rear-ending them. He managed to avoid crashing into any other obstacles in the process, but it was a close call. Feeling jostled and pissed, he was impatient to get home. Too many cars didn't give enough respect to bikers of any kind, both cyclists and motorists. It was pretty rich considering the bikers would be the ones losing that battle almost every time.

Toby was still grumbling as he made his way down the hall to his apartment. He unlocked the door, thinking about all that he needed to get done that week.

Spencer immediately looked up from her laptop and grinned seeing he was home. She practically bounded over in excitement.

Toby immediately felt any stress leave his body when she coiled her arms around his waist in a hug. He tightened his grip on her for an extra moment, breathing in her apple shampoo. He could seriously get used to coming home to Spencer every day. No matter how bad a day he would have, he knew seeing her would always make it all okay.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked perceptively, noticing he was releasing more than just air when he exhaled.

He smiled, genuinely now. "Nothing. I'm just glad I'm home." he told her, double-meaning in his words. He suddenly noticed the scent in the air. "I smell food."

She smiled brightly in return. "I know you probably thought I was a one-trick pony with those waffles…" she teased, grabbing his hand and dragging him in further so he could see the fancy set table and the meal staying warm on the stove. "But I make a mean Spaghetti Bolognese. You hungry?" she asked hopefully.

"Starved." he replied, wrapping his arm around her waist and squeezing affectionately. She leaned into his shoulder happily. "You didn't have to do this you know. You're the guest-"

But Spencer straightened up and broke away to stare him down. "First of all, you basically told me to treat this place like my own. And I cook at home. Second, you cooked breakfast, which is the _most important meal of the day_." she added cheekily. "Thirdly, you worked and I didn't. Fourthly-"

"All right, all right. You made your point. Man, you really did get the lawyer genes." he said amusedly.

Spencer grinned. "You should know better by now than to argue with me. Let's eat." she suggested, rubbing his lower back tenderly before slipping away to serve up dinner.

Toby watched adoringly, loving how well she fit in his apartment, like she really did live there. He knew that things between them had already changed in only the past couple days. He was starting to feel like they really were dating, sans the physical side of things. But he was perfectly patient for waiting on that if he got the pleasure of seeing her this much.

And as they chatted happily about how their days were over the delicious home-cooked meal, both could see their future was bright.


	12. Chapter 12

The movies I mentioned I have seen them all. I'm not a scary movie fan, I'm essentially one of those people afraid of their own shadows, but I've still seen some. My older sister loves them. As for Left4Dead, for all those that don't know, it is a zombie apocalypse video game where four people are the only survivors in a city now filled with zombies. If you're into video games, you should definitely check it out. I'm not a female gamer by definition, but I have played that game at least. For those who don't know, Paranormal Activity is filmed over a series of a couple weeks by handycam, in the same manner as Blair Witch Project, so when I mention things happening on the movie a few days later, I mean withinnnn the movie haha, not in their time.

I mentioned last chapter it was the end of October, but that's typically when midterms are done, so we're actually in the first week of November :) No one mentioned the important date I was referring to, but I'll clear it up next chapter ;)

PLEASE DONT HATE ME FOR THE END OF THIS CHAPTER! I PROMISE THIS IS A SPOBY STORY! I have a reason behind every single thing I do, and write, and I'll explain fully in my final A/N next chapter after the last chapter. I'll just say now I believe strongly in balance in relationships and this is some of the steps I needed to take to ensure that Spencer and Toby have that before they commit to each other.

In fact, next chapter is the last one, before the sequel ;) I've loved writing this story so much and I never would've had it done so fast without you guys. You're all amazing and I love you.

Enjoy this chapter, please don't hate me too much. Stick with it, I promise promise promise it'll be okay :)

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars, Paranormal Activity, Zombieland, Left4Dead 1 or 2, or Insidious.**

* * *

After that first night, Spencer spent the rest of the week sharing Toby's bed in his room. They hadn't discussed it; it was just understood. They'd fall asleep talking and wake up in the morning tangled up in each other. They'd flirt all through breakfast to when they'd separate at school. On the days Toby didn't work he'd come pick her up from school.

Spencer could honestly say she was having the best week of her life. She had aced all of her midterm exams and was settling into a structured study schedule. Spending morning, evenings and nights with Toby was proving to be the best parts of her days, although she had to admit she missed Hanna quite a bit.

They had missed Halloween in the middle of the week before for midterm cramming, so they decided to celebrate it a week late. Toby suggested they invite Hanna and Caleb over for horror movies, since the pair seemed to enjoy them. Both hadn't stopped blabbering to their respective best friend since.

That night Hanna and Caleb arrived hand-in-hand, surprising but pleasing the hosts.

"We brought some movie choices and some candy, of course." Hanna claimed as Toby welcomed them inside.

Hanna excitedly ran over to Spencer and enveloped her in a huge hug. Spencer squeezed her back tightly.

"I've missed you, Spence." she confessed.

Spencer smiled, a trace of sadness in it. "I've missed you too, Han. I'm so glad you're here tonight."

"Me too." The blonde looked over to see the boys in deep conversation in the kitchen, Caleb telling him something that was apparently funny since Toby was cracking up. "So how are things _going_…?" she asked suggestively.

Spencer laughed. "We haven't done anything like that. I still need some time." she admitted, not liking to think about her bruised heart. "But I'm definitely getting there. He's been immeasurably sweet and it's just been an amazing week. I've never felt closer to a person, or, well, a guy especially." she corrected, not wanting to offend her best friend.

Hanna was too distracted with details to feel offended. "So where are you sleeping?" she asked, grinning, knowing she would like the answer when Spencer turned bright red.

"Um, well, he has a double bed…" she explained vaguely.

Hanna would've let out a hoot of victorious laughter if the boys weren't feet away. "Oh girl, you guys have it _bad_…" she teased. "He's barely taken his eyes off of you since we got here."

Sure enough, when Spencer looked up Toby was glancing over, a smile forming on his face when he caught her looking. She felt like a preteen in the way she bit her lip and blushed, looking away shyly.

"So how are things with Caleb?" Spencer teased, throwing an M&M from the bowl Toby had laid out earlier at her friend.

Hanna returned the favor, giggling when it bounced off Spencer's shoulder. "Really great. We had a lot of fun the other night and he's been over a couple more times. We went out to dinner last night and I always thought those dates were for people like you, but it was actually really nice."

Spencer raised her eyebrows. "People like me?"

Hanna rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. Guys are into you for your brain not just your beauty. You can have long intelligent conversations about the origin of languages or something. I never considered myself an interesting person. But Caleb seems to think differently." she explained fondly.

Spencer squeezed her hands in hers. "You_ are_ interesting, Han. Probably one of the most interesting people I know. You're an absolute blast to be around and great to talk to about anything. You know no boundaries, how could you not be a great conversationalist?"

"Because I don't use words like conversationalist?" Hanna suggested, but looked touched.

Spencer shook her head amusedly. "Me and Toby spent over an hour last night before bed talking about what we would do in a _zombie apocalypse_. Trust me, not all of my conversations sound like they're straight out of a textbook." she promised.

"Before bed, huh?" Caleb's smug voice came and he cast a sideways look at Toby who rolled his eyes in response.

"Before sleep, oh technical one." Spencer allowed, smirking at him.

"What movie do you guys want to watch first?" Toby asked, setting down the popcorn he and Caleb had done up on the coffee table.

"Not _Insidious_. Hanna will scream in your face like she did to me." Caleb teased and Hanna swatted him.

"You hated that part too!" she pouted. Caleb curled an arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him happily, her previous annoyance seemingly forgotten.

"There's this one part that is really unexpected and Hanna all but lost her mind. She just leaned forward, turned to me and screamed in my face." Caleb recalled fondly, cracking up about it all over again.

"It was scary! _You_ looked like you pissed yourself, so don't pull the I'm-a-wimp-because-I'm-a-girl card. You were worse than me when the dad was looking for him in the alternate plane, with those doll-like people and stuff. So shut up." Hanna said stoutly.

"That movie is just plain creepy." Caleb settled on as Toby and Spencer observed in amusement.

"Well I'm okay with watching something not emotionally scarring." Spencer piped up.

"Let's watch _Paranormal Activity_." Hanna begged.

Everyone was pretty indifferent to what they watched now so Toby accepted the DVD from Caleb and started it up.

"Everyone says it's the scariest movie ever, but it's really not that bad Spence, if you remember it's not real." Hanna assured her, taking her hand since they were in the middle of the couch with the guys on each of their respective sides.

Spencer sighed at her attempt of reassurance. "Hopefully reminding myself it isn't real isn't too difficult or I'll end up in your lap." she muttered to Toby who smirked.

His arm wound around her waist and held her closer to him. "It's just a movie, Spence. But I'll protect you." he teased softly and the pair shared a tender smile before turning back to the screen.

Hanna and Caleb avoided each other's eyes, knowing if they looked each other in the face they'd crack up. Maybe it was the home environment, but they could tell things had definitely changed between the pair since Spencer's break-up with Wren. It wouldn't be long until this kind of get-together could be classified as a double date.

As the movie progressed, Hanna and Spencer's grip on each other's hands increased and both found themselves huddling into the guys.

Spencer was chanting _"It's just a movie, it's just a movie."_ under her breath when the video camera showed two hours passing with Katie just climbing out of bed and staring catatonically at Micah who was still asleep.

Hanna repeated the same thing when the Ouija board started moving on its own a few nights later before it burst into flames that went out before Katie and Micah returned home.

Finally, the last few scenes got intense and both Hanna and Spencer screamed when Katie got dragged out of bed by her leg by some invisible force and they leapt into Caleb and Toby's laps.

Toby and Caleb both chuckled to themselves at the girls, wrapping their arms around them protectively and shooting each other an amused glance before concentrating on the movie.

Spencer was quivering in Toby's arms even as the credits rolled. "I never would've pegged you for being afraid of such superficial horror movies." he teased.

She cuddled closer to him. "Yeah, well, I am. So there." she said childishly, sticking her tongue out at him.

He rolled his eyes at her immaturity. "I think we're better off with a fake scary movie next, like _Zombieland_." Toby added to the other two.

"That movie is definitely based off of Left4Dead." Caleb said, but agreed. Hanna had calmed down so he broke away from her to change the disc.

"Solid game though." Toby inputted and Caleb nodded in agreement, fist-bumping him when he sat back down.

"You've got that right. Although, L4D 2 was better." he argued.

"The levels were more complicated and the new specials were awesome, plus the infected option on-"

"Okay, enough video game talk, let's just watch the movie." Hanna interrupted, knowing that boys could literally go for hours about that sort of thing.

"From the girl who took fifteen minutes to decide on shoes…" Caleb reminded her.

She blushed a little but smirked. "There wasn't a movie playing then."

Caleb sighed. "Touché."

"You okay, Spence?" Toby murmured to the girl still curled up in his lap.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Sure you don't want me to get you anything? Vitamin water? Blanket? Teddy bear?" he added teasingly.

She giggled and snuggled into his chest. "I'm more intrigued on why you have a teddy bear to offer."

Toby chuckled at that. "It's Jenna's, I swear."

"How is good ole Jenna these days?" Caleb asked exuberantly.

Toby mulled it over. "Odd. We made a pact to be more civil to each other. So far she's been weirdly nice. It's pretty… disorienting."

"Any time you need someone to bitch-slap her, you know where to find me." Hanna offered, grinning as she curled up closer to Caleb, who was all too happy to have her there.

Toby chuckled with the others as he unconsciously ran his knuckles along Spencer's side, loving having her in his arms.

* * *

At the end of the movie, Toby finally clued into the fact that Spencer had fallen asleep on him. Hanna and Caleb smirked when they realized this but gestured that they would be quiet as they started to clean up by gathering the glasses and bringing them over to the sink.

"Spence?" Toby probed gently.

"Mm? Did I fall asleep?" Spencer asked without opening her eyes, burrowing her face deeper into the crook in his shoulder.

"No." he fibbed, trying not to laugh.

"I'm sorry. I'm so tired. Did Hanna and Caleb leave?" she asked, her blindness causing her to miss them gathering the rest of the stuff, holding their hands over their mouths to stop themselves from cracking up. There was something about the _need_ to be quiet that always made it ten times harder and somehow amusing.

"Yeah, they're gone. Do you want to go to bed?"

She nodded, curling her arms around his neck to assist him. "I'm sorry I missed saying goodbye to them. I'm glad we can all hang-out. I've missed Hanna." she whispered.

Hanna, only a couple feet away, made a sympathetic face that alerted them that the feeling was mutual.

"I'm really happy I'm here though. Let's go sleep, Toby. I always sleep better with you." Spencer continued, her voice somewhat muffled as he lifted her in his arms like he had that first night.

Toby motioned to the others he would be right back and carried her into his bedroom.

"I'll be right back, Spence. I've just got to clean up the living room." he told her as he placed her delicately on his bed.

She unwound her arms and grabbed at a pillow to wrap herself around. "Do you want help?" She still hadn't opened her eyes, too tired to function.

"I'll be fine. Sleep, sweetheart. I won't be long."

"Mmkay." Spencer mumbled, already losing consciousness.

Toby closed the door quietly behind him and went to see Hanna and Caleb to the door.

"You are so sweet with her, Toby. She won't admit it but she needs someone like you to take care of her." Hanna told him, happy that her friend had found such a decent guy, even if it was unofficial.

"What's the verdict on the two of you anyways? You seem even more like a couple than you did last weekend." Caleb commented.

Toby scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. "Honestly, we haven't talked about it but I think we're getting there. I want to give her the space she needs to figure out what she wants, but we've had a really great week so far. You know I'll keep you posted."

"She's probably more ready than you think, Toby. Don't give her too much space. Spencer's not used to making the first move. Even though she acts self-assured, she's also the biggest worrier in Pennsylvania." Hanna told him, hugging him goodbye.

"Thanks for tonight. It was a lot of fun watching the girls get scared." Caleb said, embracing him like men do.

Toby nodded. "We'll have to get together again soon. And with the rest of the gang. Hopefully in the next week or so, have a quadruple date."

Hanna nodded in agreement and headed out into the hall, but Caleb knew his friend, and he detected something in his tone.

"You're going to do it, aren't you? You've been planning on making a move soon."

Toby avoided his eyes, embarrassed that he picked up on that. "Honestly Caleb, I can't think rationally around her. It's only a matter of time before I kiss her. She's… everything I've ever wanted and every day now she's inches from me. It's taken all of my self-control to keep my feelings under control for this long. I only hope she's ready when the time comes."

"You've got this man. She loves you. She'd be crazy not to." he told him, ruffling his hair to counteract the sentimental stuff.

Toby smirked. "All right, all right. Get out of here. I better get back before she thinks an invisible demon is after her." he said amusedly, referencing the movie from earlier.

Caleb laughed and waved him off, speeding up down the hall to catch up with Hanna.

* * *

Toby finished putting everything away and headed inside his room. He was surprised to see Spencer sitting up, hugging her knees, her face turned away from him.

"Spencer…?" Toby called, sitting on his side and reaching out a hand.

She turned to look at him and he saw her face was soaked with tears.

His eyes grew pained as his heart clenched. "What's wrong?"

She coughed, wiping at her face. "Wren keeps calling me. I won't answer. I still just don't get any of it."

Toby took her hand in his, understanding that for this particular topic she'd want physical space, but needing to comfort her in some way. "What's on your mind?"

She blinked back more tears. "Why wasn't I good enough? I tried so hard with him. I gave up so much to be with him. I just… I don't get why I wasn't enough. What did I do wrong?"

Toby sighed, hating to see her this way. "Spence, you didn't do anything wrong. What he did was wrong… but it doesn't mean he didn't love you. I could see it in both of your eyes. And in the way he spoke about you."

"He talked to you about me?" she asked, curious now, straightening up.

Toby looked down, trying not to feel hurt at how much she cared about what Wren had said. "He said he was a lucky guy. That you would've made an amazing doctor. That you were beautiful." he told her honestly, unable to look her in the face. He felt like with every word he said, he'd only push her back towards Wren. Toby was scared that is what she wanted too.

Spencer processed his words silently. "I'm _so_ mad at him. But I can't bring myself to hate him for what he did. I wish I could."

"Don't wish for that." Toby said, looking up now. "Holding on to hate or anger does nothing but hurt you. You don't have to condone what he did, but it's easier if you can just put it behind you."

"That's why you're so nice to Jenna, isn't it?" Spencer mused.

He nodded. "I haven't forgotten what she's done, but it takes a lot less energy to forgive than it does to stay angry."

Spencer blew out a long breath, laying back into the pillows now. "I don't know what to do, Toby. I don't know what to feel. I'm just so mixed up." she admitted, her tears falling again and she buried her face in her knees, not wanting him to see her cry yet again.

Toby shuffled over and wrapped an arm around her curved back. "It's going to be okay, Spence. You just need some time to process, to figure out what you want. Maybe you guys _should_ talk." he admitted, hating himself for it but also knowing he had to be Spencer's friend right now, not think about himself. He knew that after he talked to Jenna and they were more honest with each other, things had dramatically improved. He didn't want Spencer to be suffering with this burden. It wasn't fair.

She sniffed, looking up at him. "Do you really think so?" she asked in a small voice.

He closed his eyes briefly before gathering the courage to push forward. "I think it could help you understand things better, figure out where your feelings are. I don't think you'll be able to get closure of any kind until you talk to him."

"You're probably right." Spencer sighed and pulled out her phone, typing quickly.

Toby was finding it harder to breathe, but tried to force a smile for her. "It's a brave thing you're doing, Spence. Don't ever doubt how strong you are."

Spencer smiled brightly at him, wiping her face to clear it of all excess tears. "You're my best friend, Toby. I love you."

"I love you too." he murmured. If only she knew how true those words were.

Maybe he had been looking into things. Maybe the past few days she had just felt closer as friends. Maybe she had been so touchy-feely because she was hurting and needed some positive human contact. Maybe he had been a complete idiot to think that Spencer Hastings would ever feel that way for him.

"He wants to meet tomorrow." Spencer's voice came, but it seemed like it was from far away.

"That's good. The sooner the better, right?" Toby found himself saying supportively.

She nodded. "Where are you going?"

He hadn't even realized he had stood up. "Um… I've just got something I need to do. You should sleep though, Spence. I know you've had a long day."

"Toby…" she started, looking upset that he was leaving, but he knew he couldn't stay and act supportive. If he had to listen to her talk about him just being her friend or about her ex-boyfriend who she still loved, he honestly would break down right there and that wasn't fair to her.

"I'm fine, it's fine, go to sleep." he said quickly and exited his room, throwing on his leather jacket and grabbing his keys. He locked the door behind him and got downstairs to his motorcycle faster than he ever had before.

Toby had no idea where he was going, but all he knew was he had to get far away.

* * *

After getting almost an hour out of town, Toby felt like a moron. Why had he left? Spencer needed him right now and as soon as the going got tough, he bolted. Some best friend.

He raced back, which wasn't wise but the streets were bare at this time of night, and he got home in record time. He unlocked the door and rushed to his room, stopping short when he saw the sight before him.

There was no Spencer. No suitcase. No remnant of her left behind.

She was gone. Toby sunk to the floor and put his head in his hands. For all he knew, she might be gone for good.


	13. Chapter 13

Did you all watch the WIGS episode titled Lauren starring Troian Bellisario? PLEASE do yourself a favor and go watch it. She's amazing. I obviously think no one bring the same life and spark to Spencer as she has, but it's just further proof that her career is only just taking off and she's incredibly talented. (It is very mature themes though, and a tough topic, so be sure you're of age and prepared for that sort of thing.)

ANYWAYS this is the FINAL chapter. After this, I will publish a sequel, so keep an eye out :) I'm already working on it so the first chapter should be posted soon! I'll post a bigger A/N at the end of this. Read on, lovelies. Thanks for everything.

**I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

* * *

The next day of course was one of two weekdays that Toby didn't have any classes with Spencer. He knew her schedule however, but the times her classes ended or began overlapped with when he was already in class. He would've skipped if it hadn't been for the quiz in one and a group project in the other.

She wasn't answering her phone or his texts so by the time he got to work that evening, he was a mixture of pissed off and depressed.

Ezra was already working and as soon as he saw him he knew something was up.

"Toby, what the hell happened to you?" he asked, seeing how defeated his whole body looked.

"I fucked up, Ezra. Now I think Spencer hates me. She has every right to. I'm such a selfish idiot."

Ezra, surprised by the curse, but knowing now wasn't the time to tease him about it, became concerned. "I'm sure you're just overreacting. What happened?"

Toby would rather stick his head in the blender than relive it but knew he had to spit it out. "She's been staying with me all week and we've been closer than ever. I thought we were getting closer to taking the next step. And then last night she was crying about Wren and I told her she should talk to him and now they're meeting today and they're probably going to get back together-" Toby took a breath. "I just… as soon as she started down that road, I bolted from the apartment and her. I needed to clear my head. It was tearing me apart thinking that I was so wrong about her. She was going on about how good of a friend I was. A _friend_. But once I realized I was an idiot, I raced back, but she had already packed up her stuff and left without a note or anything. Now she won't answer my calls or my texts. I didn't see her at school today so I'm just doomed. She's probably off nibbling his goddamn British ear right now."

It took all of Ezra's effort not to crack up at his last comment, the bitterness in Toby's voice only making the comment more hilarious.

"Toby, the guy was a total tool, way worse than anything you did. Don't be so quick to judge. Spencer's a smart girl."

"But she's vulnerable right now and she is so mixed up on her feelings for him. She still loves him. I was stupid to think we could be anything any time soon. She's not going to get over a ten month relationship in four days, no matter how it ended." Toby said exasperatedly.

"Toby." Ezra said seriously. "Get out of here. Go find her and talk to her. You are going to be utterly useless tonight and it's dead anyways. GO." he repeated loudly when Toby simply stood there.

"Nigel will-"

"Get over it, or bite off _my_ head. I'll make up something if I have to. Don't sweat it, I can handle it. Go." Ezra told him seriously.

Toby patted him on the shoulder gratefully before racing off, determined to find Spencer.

* * *

Toby texted Hanna to ask if Spencer was at the apartment.

_i havent seen Spencer since last nite at ur place, but im out rite now so she mite b there. Everything ok? _

_Long story._ Toby replied before heading there.

Several (hundred) knocks on the door later, Toby concluded Spencer wasn't home. She was probably with Wren. The thought made him sick to his stomach.

But Toby was determined. He sat on the floor in the hallway and decided she had to come back some time, even if it was three days from now. He would wait. He would go to the moon and back for her if that's what it took.

He didn't care what he was in her life, as long as he was _in_ her life. If she was back with Wren, he would support her. He would accept his perma-friend role with his head held high, because it would make Spencer happy. And that's what he needed to tell her.

* * *

After what felt like hours, he saw the familiar brunette coming tiredly down the hall, her face showing her surprise at him sitting outside her door.

Toby immediately leapt to his feet. "Spencer." he began before she could even ask why he was there. "I'm so sorry about last night. I didn't mean to be such a prick and abandon you when you were upset. I never wanted you to leave and I should've been more supportive in your time of need-"

"Toby-"

"No, I was stupid. I'm your best friend and best friends don't do stuff like that. You're so important to me and I don't want to lose you. I always want to put you first-"

"TOBY." Spencer shouted, grabbing his hands to steady him from the pacing he had unknowingly been doing.

He was breathing heavily now, out of breath from talking so much. It wasn't normal for him to ramble like that.

Spencer looked amused. "As fun as it is watching you freak out, I can't let you go on. I'm so sorry I made you feel like I was upset with you. After you left last night, I realized I knew exactly what I needed to do. You were right when you said I needed closure. I needed to talk to Wren. I packed up my stuff and planned to head over to talk to him right then."

Toby was enraptured with her story now, wondering where this was heading.

"I was going to call you after I left but I'm pretty sure I left my phone at your apartment, probably on silent, like a moron. I left the key behind, so I couldn't go back and get it and calling you to see if you were home to pick it up was obviously out of the question. So I went to Wren's hoping he'd be there since he was obviously up, but it turns out he had been calling me on his break since he was working the night shift. I knew he would need to sleep after he got home in the morning, so I'd have to wait. My apartment was closer so I crashed there. Our school schedules are so opposite so I couldn't come find you between classes and right after school today, I headed back over there."

Toby felt his lungs squeeze. As much as he was trying to be brave, he was terrified she was going to tell him the apocalyptic fact that she and Wren had made up.

Spencer smiled a little, seeing the fear in his eyes, knowing he probably didn't even realize how well she could read him now.

"We talked. He mostly apologized repeatedly, not really having much better justification than he had the day I broke up with him. He wanted to talk about us, how we would move on from it. It was hard and even though I was upset, I let him kiss me."

Toby stopped breathing, but managed a small nod. It was over. It was all over. He had lost her and he hadn't even really had her. God was he going to hate himself for the rest of his life...

Spencer had to laugh now. "Toby, can you please relax? You're making me nervous."

"Sorry." he said gruffly.

"Let me finish." she soothed.

He wasn't sure he wanted her to, but he couldn't really form words, so he didn't have much of a choice.

"When Wren kissed me… I didn't feel a thing." Spencer said simply. "You know that mythical spark people talk about when they kiss someone they love? I've felt that before, or so I thought, with Wren. But when he kissed me, I was finally able to be honest with myself. I haven't felt a spark with him in a really long time. Our relationship has been slowly crumbling from the inside out for months. Probably since the beginning of the summer. We talked and he agreed, even without what happened over the weekend, we wouldn't have lasted much longer. We've both been over this relationship for longer than we want to admit. It was becoming more a relationship of convenience, and that's not what either of us wants. I don't condone his cheating, but I've forgiven it and am ready to move on now."

Toby was motionless, worried if he made any sudden movement all of these words would disappear like a dream. He was still trying to process what they meant.

Spencer chuckled at his bewildered expression. "For the record, I could never be mad at you, Toby. I stopped at your work before I came here, but Ezra said you skipped out on your shift to talk to me. I hoped you'd be here."

"Why?" he asked, his voice almost strangled. He had no idea where she was going with this, but he felt hope bursting in his chest. His heart was racing.

"This past week, staying with you, has been incredible. I've never had a friendship with a guy the way I have one with you-"

_Dear Lord, not the friend card again…_ Toby thought.

"-and I knew that wasn't just because you were special. There's a reason you were the only person I wanted to see after my fight with Wren. A reason why I ran to _you_ after my horrific break-up. A reason I agreed to spend ninety percent of my time with just you, in order to figure things out. I wasn't trying to figure things out about Wren. I was trying to figure out if what I had been feeling building between us was real and wouldn't collapse under me if I took the leap. I-"

Toby didn't let her finish her sentence however. He couldn't wait another second. He walked forward, placed his hands on her waist and pulled her against his body, descending his lips onto hers.

Spencer was caught off-guard. Despite the impulsive decision, Toby was kissing her agonizingly slowly, with enough intensity that she was grateful for his solid form and the wall behind her. Without them, she wasn't sure she'd be standing right now.

His lips left hers after the first kiss but she placed her hand on his chest, leaning up to meet their lips again, the tenderness with which he kissed her making her want to weep.

They broke apart, both blushing, her eyes flickering shyly to his.

"I uh… wasn't expecting that." she finished breathlessly, somewhat amusedly, unable to stop the happy smile from gracing her face.

Toby smiled easily in return, not taking his eyes off of hers now. "Me neither." he breathed.

There was a deeper layer underneath those words though. They weren't expecting that first day of class, that one pen falling to the classroom floor was enough to cause a chain of events they still were having trouble wrapping their heads around. They had become so close so fast it didn't make sense. But it was impossible to believe now that they weren't being led by fate in some form. The things they had experienced in their lives had made them who they are and only had brought them closer together. The things they had conquered together were things they couldn't have done without the support of that one person. Forgiving Jenna. Getting past what Wren had done. Taking this leap of faith.

Toby knew now, although he knew he had been falling for Spencer since day one, that they were right to wait this long. Their connection was so much deeper and so much richer than it would've been if they got into a relationship early on. In that friend zone, they had grown to be best friends, and now knew all of the other's deepest insecurities and fears and all of those things that no one is ever supposed to know. And despite those things, it only made them love the other more.

We're all human and people make mistakes and do things they aren't proud of. Love is about finding someone who is willing to accept all of your faults and still find it in their heart to love you unconditionally. Maybe there is no such thing as fate, but sometimes people _are_ meant to be.

Toby and Spencer both knew that things wouldn't always be peaches and cream between them but that they truly had something worth fighting for. And that was enough for them to take each other's hand and step forward together, finally truly united.

The two of them separated in the hallway, their hands gradually leaving the others' waist.

"Is that… is that my shirt?" Toby asked suddenly in amusement, seeing the familiar anchor in the corner.

Spencer blushed, giggling slightly. "I may have stolen it last night. It gave me courage, having a part of you with me. Why, you want it back?" she challenged, tugging on the hem playfully.

Toby smirked. "Nah, I don't want it back. You look better in it than I do." he told her, before pulling her close again and kissing her lovingly.

Yeah... no matter how long it took to get here, it was definitely worth the wait.

* * *

The End

* * *

**FINAL A/N**

TA-DA! Still hate me?

I really really really hope you guys liked it. The ending was not originally what I was expecting, but I feel like it did the story justice in what I wanted to do.

Alright. Explanations. Here goes:

I believe in balance, like I said last chapter. I don't believe in someone taking more than giving, someone being more damaged than the other. Everyone feels things differently, so there really is no measurement of emotional turmoil. But in relationships, there is always give and take. Toby and Spencer both have their issues with their families; feeling like outsiders, the other kid being the favorite, being misunderstood by their own parents, feeling like a burden. Both have wonderful friends but find that the only person who really _gets_ them is each other. Both are insecure in relationships, about not being good enough, which you'll probably see more in the sequel.

Firstly, Toby worries Spencer deserves better, someone more successful. Spencer worries Toby deserves someone more wholesome and true, like he is. Spencer isn't a bad person, but she has made a few mistakes in her life. In the show, Spencer has lost a best friend to murder and dealt with the guilt of taking someone's eyesight from them, however unintentional. Toby has the turmoil leftover from reform school and dealing with a forced relationship from his step-sister. In my story, they've both been hurt by someone they used to trust and care for very much. In either world, both of them have been hurt in different ways but with the same magnitude. I needed that semblance of balance, hence Wren cheating on Spencer and with her sister, so it would sting that much more. It leaves it as Toby worrying he's damaged goods (from Jenna) and Spencer worrying she'll always be second best. It's a common ground of being insecure, not feeling like they're good enough. It would be boring if they had the same past. It's their different experiences and ability to empathize with the other that allows them to grow close, like on the show when they both were framed for Ali's murder.

Spencer needed to seek closure from Wren, to talk to him, because if she hadn't and come to the conclusion she did, both she and Toby would always wonder if Spencer was vulnerable when she got into their relationship, if she was just on the rebound, if she had just sought out Toby because he was a _guy_ giving her such positive attention. Spencer needed the reassurance that she really had been moving on for a lot longer than the four or so days since her break-up and that she really was ready to start something new with Toby. I needed her to be able to fully commit, be all in, in order for both of them to feel like they were doing the right thing and that it was real.

Also, I believe the best relationships are formed from friendships. If Spencer and Toby are this close now, how much better can it get? Love is limitless and I feel like out of all the fictional couples out there, Spoby can prove that the best. There has always been something so innocent and true about their relationship. I know it wasn't in the original tv script, or in the books at all, but it's hard to believe that it could've been missed when it makes so much sense to me compared to the other couples. I still love the other couples, don't get me wrong, but there's a reason I'm so drawn to Spoby. It feels real to me. It feels bigger than some teen drama show. It helps that Troian and Keegan have incredible on-screen chemistry, but it just feels bigger than all of the other craziness going on in the show. I always feel like out of all the couples, they're the ones who will pull through, because they know what they have is greater than anything else.

And that's what I'll be showcasing in the sequel ;) I'm thinking of having a little more screen/novel time for the other couples, but only as much as they are intertwined in Spencer and Toby's lives, like how theyyyy deal with their friends' ups and downs in their relationships. I'm hoping the sequel will be longer than this story, but this story was officially my longest word count on fanfiction, so we'll see haha.

I can't thank you guys enough for your feedback. Your reviews and responses have touched my heart and you've all been far too good to me. I'm leaving this story in a bittersweet way. I hope you all come with me to the sequel to properly continue their journey, but it's up to you of course. It'll be my first sequel I've ever written in my entire writing life, so it should be interesting to say the least ;) Expect a post really soon :)

As for the date I was referring to, in case any of you are curious, the date Spoby got together on the show was November 6th, 2010. Even though it's 2012 our time, the show is far behind. A full season, which was a full year our time, was only about three or four months, and then second season was another four months, to bring them to unmasking Mona in early-mid April. PLL world started September 1st, 2010, a year after Ali's body went missing. Even now, it's only 2011 for them, although I doubt they care that much, it doesn't really matter. ANYWAYS in Ctrl:A, Caleb's password reveals that Hanna and Caleb's tent night from first season, 1x19, was November fifth. The night they camped out, was ALSO the night Toby and Spencer staked out at the motel over 214. The NEXT morning, November sixth, Toby kissed Spencer. Some of you did guess it correctly, so kudos to you! But again, if you didn't catch that, you probably ACTUALLY have a life... unlike myself ;) I will admit that it was my plan all along to have them get together on the proper date, hence them going out for the club night after _midterms_, and all the time jumps to get through the first couple months. I wanted them to become solid friends as well of course and that can't happen in the matter of a few days.

Well that's enough rambling for me. Any further questions or if you just wanna discuss whatever, PM me or review and I'll get back to ya :) if you're signed in as a guest and don't leave a name... well... yeah that won't work haha. Make an account..? ;)

... sorry my A/N was probably longer than the chapter...

* * *

Just a sneak peek for the sequel, to keep you guys interested... more bits and pieces from the show, especially monumental Spoby moments that we all have probably watched on youtube three million times; Toby going to meet Spencer's family, accompanying her for the first time since her and Wren's breakup. Spencer may have forgiven Wren, but how will she react to Melissa? ; finding out if Jenna really has changed or has she been putting on an act this whole time to get on Toby's good side so she can go in for the kill?; will Ezria, Emaya, and Haleb last? ; what other characters will join the ensemble? Stay tuned to find out ;) I planted tiny seeds in this story for myself to branch out from later, but regardless, I can guarantee HAPPY SPOBY because you know that's my favorite kind ;) but I happen to also find angry Toby incrediblyyyyy sexy... (thank you Keegan Allen, for 3x08...gah.) so you'll just have to check it out to find out what happens next in our favorite couples AU lives :)

I have one scene already written, but it's sort of in the middle of the story, and I bawled through the whole thing ahahaha. In a good way though! It needed to be written. But I have really high hopes for this story so I hope you guys check it out :) The working title I have right now is Fast Cars and Freedom, after the Rascal Flatts song, but that's subject to change.

LOVE YOU ALLL! Thank you just doesn't give justice to how fabulous you've all been.


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